Passengers Complain About Long Waits and Delays at Larnaca Airport

Long queues formed at passport control in the departure area of Larnaca Airport on Monday morning, leading to numerous complaints from passengers about service delays.

According to the newspaper Philenews, passengers expressed their frustration, stating that the congestion and inconveniences "do not meet the standards of a European airport."

The publication highlights that complaints have become increasingly common as passenger traffic at Larnaca Airport has surged. Last Thursday, similar concerns were raised by DISY deputies Prodromos Alabritis, Dimitris Dimitriou, and Photini Tsirides.

"Recently, we have experienced frequent delays for arrivals and departures, as well as long queues during passenger and baggage checks at Larnaca Airport. These conditions, in addition to the inconvenience they cause to travelers, do not align with the image we wish to project to tourists visiting our country," stated one parliamentarian who addressed the issue in a parliamentary question to the Minister of Transport.

The managing company, Hermes Airports, reported that Monday was one of the busiest days at Larnaca Airport for flights from third countries, where passengers are subjected to additional checks.

Most complaints from passengers relate to delays in baggage handling and passport checks by the police.

The company clarified that there is an electronic system in place to track the time taken for both passport control and security checks. According to this system, wait times remain within agreed parameters. For security, checks should ideally not exceed 15 minutes per person, although some cases have experienced delays of up to 25 minutes.

"Regarding baggage retrieval, there have been isolated reports of prolonged delays. Corrective measures have been implemented in collaboration with service providers to prevent such incidents from recurring," the company stated.

Hermes Airports also mentioned that they are engaging in discussions with both the immigration service and the Ministry of Transport to streamline processes and minimize delays.