New passenger handling facility approved for RAF Akrotiri

A £66 million contract has been awarded for the construction of a new Passenger Handling Facility at RAF Akrotiri.

The contract – awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and UK Strategic Command (UKStratCom) – will see the creation of a new terminal and freight buildings and forms part of a programme to upgrade much of the infrastructure of the Bases in Cyprus.

The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the area, with Cyprus Service Provider (CSP) employing personnel from across the island’s communities, as well as specialists from the UK.

The programme will also replace or strengthen buildings which are not seismically compliant and in doing so will provide improved and new facilities for service personnel and their families.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said: “RAF Akrotiri is an incredibly busy overseas base, supporting operations in the region and beyond – including the recent evacuation from Sudan – and this £66 million investment will significantly improve these facilities for our personnel and their families.

“I’m proud that our dedicated teams in the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and UK Strategic Command have kept up the momentum to continue upgrading our sites in Cyprus.”

Construction is expected to commence later this year, with completion of the new facility planned for late 2026, with the demolition of the existing building the following year.

Tracey Fuoco, Programme Director for the UK Strategic Command Infrastructure team, said: “I am delighted that this project is now moving into the construction phase and would like to thank all of those involved for their hard work in getting us to this point. This project is part of a much wider APOLLO Programme of work to update the estate for our Service personnel and their families, who are living and working in Cyprus. I look forward to seeing the progress with the PHF project over the coming months.”

Heraclis Passades, Director of CSP, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for the design and construction of the Passenger and Freight Handling Facilities at RAF Akrotiri. I would like to thank the MOD and DIO for entrusting us with this important project, and we look forward to closely collaborate with them to develop and deliver a final product that we will all be proud of.”