Cyprus, being a former UK protectorate, has long enjoyed excellent transportation links with the United Kingdom. In the past, the ship was the most common way to travel between the UK and Cyprus, a possibility which today still exists: Cypriot ports, and especially Limassol, are popular destinations for both cruise ships and ferries. The latter mainly serve to connect this Mediterranean island with destinations in Greece and Israel.
The vast majority of visitors to Cyprus, however, arrive by airplane, and both British tourists and long-term residents of Cyprus have a wide range of connections to choose from. Naturally, first there are the national carriers of both countries, British Airways and Cyprus Airways, which maintain scheduled services between the two nations. National carriers are however usually known to be the most expensive option to travel. But there are several other airlines which can be chosen as well.
For travelling between the United Kingdom and Cyprus, the airline that offers far most options is Thomsonfly (formerly known as Britannia Airways). This airline, which operates both scheduled, low cost services and charter flights, maintains services from a vast array of airports in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to Larnaca and Paphos. Another scheduled low cost carrier which caters for the Scottish market is Flyglobespan, which operates flights from Aberdeen and Glasgow to Paphos.
A Cypriot airline that operates both scheduled and charter services is Eurocypria. This airline has a fleet of modern Boeing 737 aircraft and serves several UK airports. Eurocypria forms part of the Cyprus Airways Group, meaning that it has the backing and technical support of a long-established quality carrier.
Apart from non-stop services between the UK and Cyprus, there are always more options by flying via another airport on the European mainland. Many other European airlines operate to Cyprus, and taking this option might save considerably on the fare for the journey. One airline that immediately springs to mind is the Greek national carrier Olympic Airlines, as Greece and Cyprus have had close ties for thousands of years. Olympic offers several flights between the UK and Greece, with good onward connections to Cyprus.
Airlines change their schedules and routings on a regular basis, most times adding routes to their network but sometimes also (temporarily) stopping certain flights, so the best way to keep up-to-date with current routings and offers is by signing up for newsletters on the respective airlines’ websites. This way you will know about special offers as soon as they become available.
As Cyprus is becoming more and more popular among tourists and people wishing to buy property on the island, the number of flights between Cyprus and the rest of Europe is steadily increasing and the country’s two main airports of Paphos and Larnaca are improving and upgrading their facilities. Especially since Cyprus joined the European Union, together with several other countries, more people than ever before are choosing the Mediterranean island as a destination for their holidays or their new home.