Paphos to boost German tourism with new Ryanair and Lufthansa flights

Paphos is set to strengthen its links with Germany in the summer of 2026, as Ryanair expands its presence on the route and Lufthansa adds scheduled flights from Munich.

This move is seen by local tourism officials as essential for improving the island’s performance in one of Europe’s largest outbound markets.

Specifically, the Paphos region tourism board (Etap) said the additional capacity would make the destination more accessible to German travellers and support efforts to extend the tourist season beyond the peak summer months.

Under Ryanair’s summer programme, direct services to Paphos International Airport are expected from several German cities, delivering a total of nine inbound flights per week.

These include twice-weekly connections from Berlin-Brandenburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf, alongside three weekly services from Memmingen, near Munich.

Alongside the low-cost carrier’s expansion, Lufthansa will introduce three weekly flights between Munich and Paphos, offering a full-service alternative and strengthening links not only with southern Germany but also with markets feeding into the airline’s wider network.

Interest from tour operators is also building, Etap said, with discussions under way aimed at increasing the scale of organised travel programmes to Paphos during the 2026 season.

Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, Etap executive director, described the enhanced air connectivity as “strategically significant for the region”, pointing to its potential impact on visitor numbers, seasonality and the wider local economy.

He said “the additional flights open the door to more sustained tourism growth and thanked the airlines for their confidence in Paphos”, adding that “cooperation with Hermes Airports and other partners would continue to focus on strengthening links with key European source markets.”

Despite the improved outlook, Etap acknowledged that Cyprus continues to lag behind competing destinations when it comes to attracting German travellers.

Of an estimated 75 million outbound trips made annually by Germans, Cyprus accounts for roughly 250,000 arrivals, about 0.33 per cent, compared with around 1.6 million for Crete, 1 million for Rhodes and more than 4 million for Mallorca.

In response, the board said it is recalibrating its promotional strategy, with plans to step up its presence at the ‘Free Munich’ tourism exhibition in January 2026.

Additional measures under review include a sharper digital focus on the German market, closer cooperation with airlines and tour operators, and targeted familiarisation visits for German journalists, bloggers and travel professionals.