Erdoğan inaugurates Turkish Cyprus’ newly expanded airport

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has inaugurated the new terminal building and runway of Turkish Cyprus' Ercan Airport, dubbed the airport with the largest passenger capacity on the island.

The opening ceremony of the airport in Nicosia coincides with the 49th anniversary of the Türkiye's Peace Operation launched to protect the Turkish population on the eastern Mediterranean island.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

A plane carrying Erdoğan from his three-stop Gulf tour performed the first landing at the airport on July 20.

"Our airport, whose construction started in 2016, has gained the capacity to host wide-body aircraft with a new terminal building and runway. The airport offers advanced technology and services. The days when the new terminal and runway will be used for international flights are not far away," Erdoğan stated during his speech at the ceremony.

Stating that the new terminal is six times larger than the old one, Erdoğan said that its expanded version would serve 10 million passengers.

"As of today, this structure is the airport with the largest passenger capacity on the Cyprus island," he said. "This work will contribute to making Turkish Cyprus a brand in the eastern Mediterranean region."

The new runaway stretches 3,100 meters compared to the existing one of 2,755 meters. The airport is equipped with a parking area for a total of 30 aircraft and includes an indoor parking lot with a capacity of 1,500 vehicles. The facility is expected to make a significant contribution to the country's tourism and economy.