Larnaca and Paphos airports to be expanded with €170m major projects under consultation

Environmental impact assessment studies related to the expansion of the airports in Larnaca and Paphos have been released for public consultation through the Environmental Department.

The project to expand the airports is linked to prospects for the further development of Cyprus' connectivity with the rest of the world.

As the company responsible for the management and operation of Larnaca and Paphos airports, Hermes Airports has prepared, within the framework of the concession agreement, plans for the expansion of the existing airport facilities and the compliance of the airports with the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

All studies related to the project are being undertaken by Bouygues Batiment International and Egis Aviation, while the MEPKE is being undertaken by Egis Structures et Environment together with the Cypriot consulting company La Solas Services Ltd.

Larnaka Airport: Terminal expansion for 12 million passengers per year

The Larnaka Airport expansion project (Phase 2) consists of two components, namely on the one hand the expansion of the existing terminal to provide capacity suitable for 12 million passengers per year, and on the other hand the aircraft parking area that will have a capacity to be estimated according to the mix of aircraft traffic.

All elements of the expansion project are located within the airport perimetre, on land owned by the airport and managed by Hermes Airports. as the concessionaire.

In more detail, Phase 2 of the Larnaca airport expansion includes:

• Extension of the terminal building to the east: on the departure level the space will be used to house departure passport control and security functions. It is considered that no additional check-in area is required, while this area will not need to be directly connected to the road network via a bridge.
• The existing passport control and security area will be repurposed to provide additional retail space, including adequate seating for the public.
• The departure gate area will be extended westwards via a connected ‘wing’ structure that will house new departure gates used for passenger entry/exit. The intention is to design and construct the gate area at ground level. This intention was dictated by the need to have a technically and cost-effective option to add passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) and an additional floor above the new departure gates, in a manner that will enable connectivity with the potential second terminal to be constructed in Phase Three, in accordance with the master plan.
• The design takes various means of people movement into consideration to gradually transition passengers from level 2 to the ground-level gate area. Similarly, arriving passengers should be transferred to level 1 to join arrivals without disrupting the flow of departures.
• The plans also demonstrate how the terminal could operate in a Schengen environment while maintaining the level of service for peak loading of Schengen and non-Schengen passengers separately. This will be done through flexible use of gates and/or a second immigration control for the new wing.
• The baggage claim area will be remodeled to allow for the installation of two additional carousels.
• The baggage claim area will be expanded to accommodate at least one more carousel with provision for the addition of another belt (carousel) if needed (activation mechanism to be agreed) with an appropriate baggage unloading area.
• The extension of the eastern runway will be designed based on the concept of a single taxiway entry/exit lane, but in such a way as to allow for easy conversion to a dual taxiway configuration at a later stage.

The overall estimated cost of the project amounts to approximately €95 million, which is distributed as follows:

• Extension of the building to the eastern part of the terminal and the western wing: €77 million.
• Runway extension and relocation of ancillary facilities (GSE ancillaries): €18 million.

Pafos Airport: Terminal expansion for annual handling of 5 million passengers

The expansion project of Pafos International Airport will contribute to the prospects for the development of exchanges between Cyprus and the rest of the world.

The proposed Phase 2 expansion works of Pafos International Airport are expected to take approximately 18 months from site preparation and excavation to testing and operation of the new airport facilities. The works will include the following:

• Construction of an additional section of the southern parallel taxiway, with all the necessary lighting and safety requirements,
• Expansion of the existing terminal to provide capacity suitable for an annual traffic of five million passengers.

No resettlement or land acquisition is required for any of the airport development projects. The expansion activities will take place entirely within the boundaries of the existing airport. Once Phase 2 of the development is complete, the airport will be able to handle approximately 5 million passengers per year.

The overall estimated cost of the project is approximately €75 million, which is broken down as follows:
• Construction of an additional new southern parallel runway with all necessary lighting and safety requirements: €38 million
• Extension of the terminal: €37 million

The following works of Phase 2 are part of the scope of the project:

• Extension of the terminal to the east with the design and construction of a space equivalent to the existing arrival area (foreigners' section and baggage claim). The new space will house the operation of the foreigners' section in a similar space to the current one, as well as at least three baggage claim units of the same or greater length as the existing one. In addition, the design of the new space will allow for the provision of a fourth baggage claim area. The surface area of ​​the new airport building to be constructed is estimated to be approximately 3,350 sq m.
• The existing arrivals area will be reused to house security and immigration functions and part of the space will be reconfigured to house at least two additional passenger gates, similar to the existing gates.
• The existing security/immigrants section area will be repurposed to accommodate a new screening area and allow for the expansion of the retail space. The ground-level restaurant will be relocated to an outdoor area.
• The commercial space will allow for more centrally located public seating.
• Demonstration of how the terminal could operate in a Schengen environment, while maintaining the level of service for peak passenger traffic of Schengen and non-Schengen travelers separately.
• The parallel runway will be fully extended to the east, while to the west it will only be constructed to the point within the perimeter of the airport area. The proposed design may include an angular connection of the taxiway with the runway to allow for maximum runway utilisation.

(Source: InBusinessNews)