Hermes Airports, the operator of Larnaka and Pafos airports in Cyprus, is eyeing a strong winter 2023-24 season, with an additional 850,000 seats in the market compared with winter 2019-20.

More than 50% of the summer 2023 routes have continued during the winter season—a rise of 20% compared with 2019—and the group has successfully compensated for loss in Russian and Ukrainian traffic, which previously accounted for about 1.3 million passengers per year.

Larnaka International Airport’s (LCA) passenger numbers grew by 69% in 2022, compared with the previous 12 months, and the airport saw a further increase of 130% in the first eight months of 2023. Since the turn of the year, LCA has welcomed nine new airlines with new destinations such as Bergen, Cologne, Orebro and Verona in Europe, as well as Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Kuwait in the Middle East.

Hermes Airports, an exhibitor at Routes World 2023 in Istanbul and a Routes 360 member, says it is working to further close gaps in air connectivity from European cities through collaboration with tourism authorities and airlines. Through joint marketing initiatives with airlines, regional tourism boards and hoteliers, LCA has invested more than €2 million ($2.2 million) during 2022 and the first eight months of 2023.

Having been named the winner of the 5-10 million category at the 2023 Routes Awards, Maria Kouroupi, Senior Manager Aviation Development, Marketing and Communications at Hermes Airports, said: “It was a very exciting moment for us and for the whole team. We feel it is an acknowledgment by our clients, customers, and airlines. A lot of the industry was involved which makes it even more of an achievement for us. It means we are doing good work.”