Popular Airport | Ercan Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 9 hour |
Approximate Travel Distance | 7233 Km |
Taking a taxi in the morning or evening outside of rush hours is probably the most reliable method of transport to the airport in densely populated Durban. It’s also possible to reach the airport with rented cars or shuttle company buses.
You can reach the airport by taxi from the city centre in around 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic conditions. It might be a good idea to speak with the taxi driver beforehand and let them know your time of departure to not have any bad surprises for your journey.
The shuttle buses that leave for the airport depart from Durban Station in the city centre, depart once every day at 8:00, 11:00, and 16:00 and reach the airport in around half an hour.
The traffic flows on the left side in Durban, so if you come from a country where you drive on the right it might be a better idea to hire a car with a driver rather than getting behind the steering wheel yourself. If you come from country where cars drive on the left side, you might be more at home with this option.
There is only one terminal in King Shaka Airport where there is an ABSA bank, which opens half an hour before the first flight and closes half an hour after the last flight. In addition, you can find financial services from the ATMs of First National Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. There is a prayer room for Muslims, and a post office that offers services depending on the first and last flights of the day. There are baby and childcare rooms that mothers can use.
In addition to these services, the airport has many lounges. The most exclusive ones are the South African Airways Business Class Lounge, found near the entrance of the terminal, and BIDVest Premier Lounge. In these lounges you can order some food and rest on comfortable seating areas to read books or newspapers.
Airport restaurants include; Cape Town Fish Market, Cosmic Candy, Big Five Duty Free, Fego Coffee Shop, Kauai, KFC, Milky Lane, Mugg&Bean, Panarottis, Rhapsody’s, Spur, Steers, Sweet Treat, The Airport Cellar, and Wimpy. There is also a Yemaya Nail Express, Woolworts, Vodashop, Tie Stop, The Urban Retreat, The Scoin Shop, NWJ Fine Jewellery, Sneakers, Sunglass Hunt, Nike, MTN, Moda Luggage&Leather, Khasav, Jeep, EM Native, and Electro Electronics for your shopping needs.
Ercan Airport is 23 kilometers from the capital Lefkoşa (Nicosia), 44 km from Girne, 50 km from Magosa and 62 km from Güzelyurt. You can benefit from KIBHAS airport shuttle service, which has been serving for 6 years, to reach the city center from the airport because there is not a developed transportation system in the island. You can also choose from taxi, airport transfer companies and car rental option.
If you have booked your accommodation in advance, it would be useful to ask if your hotel can arrange airport transfer or not. There are some hotels that provide free airport transfer according to the number of passengers.
These shuttle buses, which have been serving since February 2009, take the airport passengers to the bus stations in Nicosia, Girne, Magosa, Güzelyurt and Lefke from morning till midnight. Once you arrive at the bus station, you can go wherever you will be staying by taxi or minibus departing from there. This shuttle service is the cheapest way to get to the city center or wherever you want from the airport.
KIBHAS shuttle services officially serve only between the airport and bus terminals, but they can also drop you off at a point on the route on your request. Before getting on the shuttle, you can ask the shuttle driver about this detail or you can find out about it during your reservation. You can book by phone before you arrive at the airport.
KIBHAS suttles departing from Ercan Airport to Girne and Nicosia run for 12 times from 08.10 till 00.30. The number of the shuttles to other destinations is less frequent. KIPHAS shuttles to Güzelyurt and Lefke serve 7 times a day between 09.30 and 00.30 and the shuttles to Magosa serve 9 times a day from 08:10 to 00:30. Departure times may vary and the waiting times between the shuttle services are different for each service. You can easily see the KIPHAS building when you go out the incoming passenger terminal.
Taxi fares at Ercan Airport might be a bit more expensive compared to the fares in Turkey. However, if you want to take a taxi, do not forget to bargain with the driver and make a comparison. With KIBHAS shuttles coming into service, demand for taxi has decreased and so, taxi drivers may reduce taxi fares considerably. You can be prepared by online searching for the offers of the companies for taxi fares to reach your destination. Also, if you are traveling with a few people and when you compare the per passenger shuttle charges, taking a taxi may be a more practical and convenient option, though the same advantage does not apply to taxi fare. Please note that the TRNC taxis can take up to 3 passengers as required by law.
You can also benefit from the vehicles of the companies that provide airport transfer service to reach the city center or the hotels from the airport by making a reservation in advance. Especially if you are traveling in groups, the transportation service provided by these may also be more suitable for you in terms of price. These vehicles meet you at the airport upon your arrival and ensure you to reach your destination without waiting. Before boarding the plane, you can make a quick online search and make a reservation in advance or you can ask your hotel to arrange such a service.
Car rental prices in Cyprus are particularly convenient if you are going to rent a car for 3 or more days compared to Turkey. So are the fuel prices! Moreover, you can find many parking places which you don’t have to pay for. For this reason, renting a car is one of the preferred options for sightseeing in Cyprus. By renting a car, you can be more flexible during your trip and you can travel all over the island, which is not already very big. However, the traffic flows in the reverse direction (left) compared to Turkey and there are the right hand drive cars. For some people, this requires an adaptation process, especially at first. It would be useful to rent a car keeping this in mind. It is also important to remember that the automatic cars make it easier to get used to this adaptation process.
If you plan to travel from the airport by renting a car, we advise you to book in advance. As it is a common and preferred method in the island, you may have difficulty in finding a convenient car at the airport. To rent a car, you must be over 25 years old and have a Turkish Republic driving license. Ercan Airport has a car park reserved for rental cars. Many car rental companies use this car park. You can pick up and deliver your car at the same parking area. The car rental companies in Cyprus are usually local enterprises.