Authorities in Paphos have effectively abandoned efforts to complete a new highway link to the district’s airport, pivoting instead to a modernisation of the existing network through the community of Timi.
The shift in strategy follows a two-decade environmental deadlock that has pitted regional economic ambitions against environmental concerns.
The proposed highway route passes through the Ezousa River estuary, a protected Natura 2000 site. Environmental authorities have repeatedly blocked the project, warning that a coastal bridge would cause “irreversible negative impacts” on rare bird species and turtle nesting grounds.
US army base and environmental protection
The project’s stagnation was recently complicated by a geopolitical dimension. The United States Air Force has expressed interest in upgrading the Andreas Papandreou Air Base, which shares the airport’s infrastructure.
By citing national security and emergency requirements, the US-backed proposal seeks to bypass traditional environmental restrictions. Under European Union law, such “overriding public interest” can occasionally trump Natura 2000 protections. However, with the diplomatic and legal path for a second access route still unclear, local officials are no longer willing to wait.
‘Immediate necessity’ to fix existing route, MP says
Chrysanthos Savvides, a Paphos MP for DIKO and member of the House Transport Committee, told philenews that the current road is a relic of previous decades and is “wholly inadequate” for record-high passenger volumes.
“It is an immediate necessity to fast-track improvement works on this road axis,” Savvides noted, stressing that the airport’s expansion must be met with a tangible improvement in ground transport.
The push for an upgrade has also exposed an administrative lapse: for decades, the primary road connecting the airport to the city was never officially registered as a public highway.
Urgent modernisation measures
Following an on-site inspection by the parliamentary Committee on Transport, Communications, and Works, several immediate measures have been fast-tracked:
- Electrification: A study has commenced to provide street lighting for the first time along the route.
- Safety Upgrades: A regulatory master plan is being drafted to improve traffic flow and road safety.
- Legal Registration: Authorities are moving to formally register the path as a public road to unlock future funding.
While the “green light” for the new highway remains obscured by environmental and military debates.
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