New passenger handling facility at Akrotiri air base

The British Sovereign Base Areas Administration (SBA) has announced its intention to construct a new passenger handling facility at its RAF Akrotiri air base.

The facility will cost £66 million (€77.2 million) and will include a new passenger terminal and freight buildings. Construction is expected to start later this year, with the new facility set to be completed in 2026.

The SBAA say that the plan forms part of a programme to upgrade much of the infrastructure of the British bases on the island, and that the project will create “hundreds” of jobs from across Cyprus’s communities as well as specialists from the United Kingdom.

British Defence procurement minister James Cartlidge said the project will “significantly improve these facilities for our personnel and their families”.

Cyprus Service Provider (CSP) will undertake the project. Its director, Heracles Passades, thanked the British Defence Ministry for entrusting his company with the project, and said he looks forward to closely collaborating with the British to “deliver a final product that we will all be proud of”.