Cyprus Airports Handle 50,000 Passengers Daily As Tourism Sector Targets Sustainable Growth

by News Editor

August 10, 2026

Cyprus’ airports are handling around 50,000 passengers and 325 flights a day during the peak summer season, while access to the arrivals area at Larnaca airport has reopened to private vehicles to ease congestion.

Maria Kouroupi, Hermes Airports’ director of aviation development, marketing and communications, said Larnaca is currently operating around 230 flights and serving 36,000 passengers daily, while Paphos handles about 14,000 passengers across 95 flights.

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Larnaca Airport Access Reopens

The road leading to the exits of Larnaca airport’s arrivals area reopened to private vehicles on August 7.

Cars can now briefly enter the arrivals area to collect passengers, with police monitoring traffic. The airport’s short-stay car park remains available at €1 for up to 20 minutes.

Taxis are still prohibited from the arrivals area and will continue using designated pick-up zones west of the terminal.

Tourism Targets Year-Round Growth

Meanwhile, Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said sustainable management and protection of tourism destinations have become key priorities as Cyprus moves beyond its recent tourism crisis.

Following a meeting with the newly elected leadership of the Cyprus Hotel Association (Pasyxe), Koumis said the sector is focusing on attracting new markets, strengthening existing ones, improving air connectivity and developing Cyprus as a year-round destination.

He stressed that closer cooperation between the public and private sectors will be essential to protecting destinations and maintaining the island’s tourism competitiveness.

New Pasyxe president Yiannos Pantazis said both sides agreed to intensify cooperation, adding that the association is working to bring the sector’s performance in 2027 back to 2025 levels.

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Europe’s Busiest Ports Show The Scale Of Maritime Trade

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 7, 2026

Maritime transport carried roughly 13 billion tonnes of goods worldwide in 2024, highlighting its central role in global trade and supply chains. EU ports handled about 3.4 billion tonnes, or 26% of the global total, while nearly 90% of the bloc’s external freight trade is carried by sea.

Rotterdam And Antwerp-Bruges Lead The EU

Rotterdam was the EU’s busiest port in 2024, handling 397.3 million tonnes of goods. Antwerp-Bruges ranked second with 243.7 million tonnes, putting the two northern European hubs well ahead of the rest.

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Hamburg ranked third at 97 million tonnes, followed by Spain’s Algeciras at 81.5 million tonnes and Amsterdam at 78.8 million tonnes. France’s HAROPA port complex, covering Le Havre and Rouen, handled 76.6 million tonnes, while Gdansk recorded 71 million tonnes.

Marseille and Valencia followed with 66 million and 64.5 million tonnes, respectively. Romania’s Constanta completed the top 10 at 57.6 million tonnes, reflecting the Black Sea’s role in Europe’s wider trade network.

Europe’s Second Tier Of Major Ports

Several ports handled between 40 million and 56 million tonnes in 2024. Barcelona recorded 55.5 million tonnes, followed by Trieste at 53.5 million, Genoa at 47.4 million and Sines at 44.1 million.

Piraeus handled 43.7 million tonnes, while Germany’s Bremerhaven recorded 42.5 million. Sweden’s Göteborg handled 38.5 million tonnes and Dunkerque in France 36.8 million.

Netherlands Leads By National Port Volume

Looking at total cargo across each country’s ports, the Netherlands ranked first with 538.1 million tonnes in 2024. Italy followed with 488.6 million tonnes and Spain with 486 million tonnes, putting all three well ahead of the rest of the EU.

Belgium ranked fourth at 274.9 million tonnes, followed by Germany at 273.9 million and France at 269.8 million. Greece, Sweden and Poland each handled more than 100 million tonnes, showing the breadth of Europe’s maritime network.

Turkey Expands The Regional Picture

Including EU candidate countries and EFTA members puts Turkey in second place with 524.7 million tonnes, behind the Netherlands. Norway ranked eighth with 212.1 million tonnes and handled 212.1 million tonnes.

The European Commission has described maritime transport as a long-standing driver of European economic development. Its role now extends beyond moving cargo, with ports increasingly tied to supply chains, energy security and industrial policy.

In March 2026, the Commission adopted two strategies focused on competitiveness, sustainability, security and resilience across the EU’s waterborne sector, including ports, shipping and shipbuilding.

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