Flights to and from Larnaca airport in Cyprus will now operate out of the new terminal building which has now become fully operational, with all flights now transferred to the new ultra modern terminal.

The old terminal was first built in 1975 as a makeshift arrangement following the destruction of the Nicosia International Airport during the Turkish invasion, and has played an instrumental role in the rise of tourism on the island, fuelled by the prevalence of many low-cost carriers flying in holidaymakers.

The company which operates the airport, Hermes Airports, said the old terminal would be kept in operational condition for a year before a hotel and other amenities are developed on the site.

The final flight to land and take off before the closure of the terminal was a Syrian Airlines flight from Damascus.

Construction of the ultra-new terminal has cost over 656 million Euros and has a reported annual capacity of 7.5 million passengers.

Airlines serving Larnaca Airport from the UK include British Airways, Cyprus Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.Com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airlines.

The second phase of the upgrade will be completed in 2013, and will cater for a further 2 million passengers pear year, bringing the annual capacity up to 9 million per year, with the completed terminal including 16 boarding gates, and designed to reflect the proportions of a medieval aqueduct located in the city.