History of Larnaca International Airport

Built hastily in 1975, Larnaca International Airport has had an exciting history and it looks as if it is only the beginning. There are many stories surrounding the airport that is built 4km southwest of the town of Larnaca. As the primary commercial airport on Cyprus, Larnaca sees droves of tourists from all over the world arrive to behold Cyprus’ historical wonders.

For the tourist there is several ways in and about the airport. There are public transport systems that operate widely and regularly and are not too expensive. There is, of course, also the choice of using the car hire Larnaca airport service. Here you can find various makes and models of vehicles to suit your needs. Most of the car hire franchises also offer discounted prices and special offers.

Before leaving the airport it is worth considering that in the 35 years of its existence, the airport has seen a lot of action and violence. For instance:

  • In October 1977 a Lufthansa flight from Palma de Mallorca was hi-jacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The plane carried the 4 hijackers and 91 passengers first to Rome, then to Larnaca, Bahrain and finally to Dubai. Here the plane was forced to fly to Somalia’s Mogadishu airport where the plane was stormed by the German anti-terrorist squad. Three of the four terrorists were killed and the remaining one was arrested. All the passengers remained unharmed.

  • Another incident occurred a few months later in February 1978 when there was an hour long gun fight between the Egyptian military counter-terrorism unit, Unit 777 and the Cypriot National Guard. After killing 15 of the 74 Egyptians, the Cypriot National Guard managed to end the battle without any fatalities in its own ranks. After this incident relations between Cyprus and Egypt remained strained for some time.

Considering the exciting history of this airport, you may want to linger a little more to find out about other incidents in its past. There are still several untold stories to be found,

Alternatively you can now consider the car hire at Larnaca airport option and try to get into the town with its own history dating back to Noah’s grandson and the Greek philosopher, Zeno.

There is so much to learn, see and encounter just in the airport building alone that your tourist experience starts the moment that you set foot of your plane. The reception that awaits you is warm and friendly and the service is of a world-class standard. The airport is definitely a good start to a promising holiday.