The Cypriot government has awarded Greek company Aegean Airlines a one-year contract to operate direct flights between Larnaca and Brussels, aimed at improving connections with the EU capital during Cyprus’ upcoming Council presidency.
The small island country of just under one million inhabitants is set to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the New Year, and has had to contend with connection problems, especially during winter. Diplomats have repeatedly warned that the lack of a direct Nicosia-Brussels connection could complicate the back-and-forth commuting crucial to handling negotiations in the EU’s de facto capital.
Previously, the only direct service to Cyprus would have been from Brussels Charleroi, which is 55 km south of the city — and that was only slated to start in April and connect to Paphos, a two-hour drive from Nicosia.
“Travelling to Brussels from Cyprus via connecting flights is challenging and time-consuming,” a Cypriot diplomat told Euractiv. “Direct flights during our Presidency will have a positive impact on connectivity and hopefully will open the path for direct flights all year round if proven commercially viable”.
November start
The agreement with Aegean Airlines is worth around €4.7 million, another Cypriot official said. It follows a renewed public tender that was launched in May 2025 by the Department of Civil Aviation after an earlier attempt lower budget failed to attract any bids.
Under the terms of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract, a mechanism allowing governments to subsidise routes deemed essential for connectivity, Aegean Airlines will operate flights twice weekly from December 2025, increasing to five times a week during the six-month Council presidency, before dropping to three and later two weekly flights until November 2026.Â
The route will be open to the public, not reserved exclusively for diplomats and ministerial staff, and is part of a broader effort to strengthen the island’s links with major EU aviation hubs.
Nicosia hopes the service will prove successful with tourists looking to take a break from the grim Brussels winter. The Department of Civil Aviation described the contract as part of a “long-term effort to enhance Cyprus’s accessibility and reinforce its European footprint”.
(ow,rh)
