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

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.

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.

Sila Wins $1.4 Billion Pentagon Loan To Scale U.S. Battery Production

Sila has secured a $1.4 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Defense to expand production of its silicon-carbon battery material as the U.S. seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese battery supply chains.

Silicon Anodes Offer Higher Energy Density

The funding comes as U.S. automakers and defense companies face challenges securing battery materials from non-Chinese suppliers. Graphite, which is used in most lithium-ion battery anodes, has a supply chain heavily dominated by Chinese producers.

Sila is among several companies developing silicon-based alternatives to graphite. Other players include Group14 and Amprius.

Silicon anodes can store around 20% to 40% more energy than graphite, potentially enabling longer-lasting batteries or smaller and lighter cells. Those characteristics are particularly attractive for electric vehicles, drones and other mobility and defense applications.

Sila produces its silicon-carbon material at a factory in Moses Lake, Washington, giving it a domestic source that is less exposed to tariffs and geopolitical risks.

The facility began operating in September and currently has annual capacity of about 2 gigawatt-hours of anode material. Sila plans to expand the factory fivefold, which would provide enough material for more than 100,000 EVs.

Pentagon Funding Supports Expansion

In July, Sila raised $300 million to help finance the expansion, bringing its total funding from private investors to more than $1.5 billion, according to PitchBook.

The company already has agreements with Mercedes-Benz and Panasonic. The new Pentagon financing could also help Sila pursue contracts with defense companies as demand for advanced batteries grows.

The Department of Defense announced funding for three other critical-materials companies alongside the Sila loan.

Sunrise Energy Metals will receive a $400 million loan to develop scandium resources, while Niron Magnetics secured $150 million to manufacture rare-earth-free magnets. Strategic Bauxite will receive an $85 million government equity investment to support mining of aluminum-bearing minerals.

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