Operations at Paphos International Airport were suspended for nearly two hours on 12 November 2025 after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook the island at 11:30 a.m. local time. Airport authorities activated emergency protocols, evacuating terminals and dispatching engineering teams to inspect the runway and critical infrastructure.
No structural damage was found, and flights gradually resumed with average delays of 45–60 minutes. A second tremor measured at 5.3 was recorded later in the afternoon, but it did not prompt additional operational halts.
![Flights briefly grounded at Paphos Airport as 5.7-magnitude quake triggers runway inspections]()
Hermes Airports, which manages both Paphos and Larnaca airports, said passengers should expect residual delays throughout the day and advised airlines to reroute overflow traffic to Larnaca if needed. Global carriers with tight connection windows—particularly those flying onward to the Middle East—implemented flexible rebooking policies.
Cyprus sits on a relatively active seismic zone, but quakes strong enough to disrupt aviation are rare; the last comparable event occurred in January 2024. The incident serves as a reminder for travel-risk managers to incorporate seismic disruption scenarios into contingency plans for assignees and visiting executives.
Local hotels reported minimal cancellations, signalling traveller confidence in the island’s infrastructure resilience. Nevertheless, corporate travel departments are urged to keep employees enrolled in real-time alert systems and to verify that travel insurance covers force-majeure delays linked to natural disasters.
No structural damage was found, and flights gradually resumed with average delays of 45–60 minutes. A second tremor measured at 5.3 was recorded later in the afternoon, but it did not prompt additional operational halts.
Hermes Airports, which manages both Paphos and Larnaca airports, said passengers should expect residual delays throughout the day and advised airlines to reroute overflow traffic to Larnaca if needed. Global carriers with tight connection windows—particularly those flying onward to the Middle East—implemented flexible rebooking policies.
Cyprus sits on a relatively active seismic zone, but quakes strong enough to disrupt aviation are rare; the last comparable event occurred in January 2024. The incident serves as a reminder for travel-risk managers to incorporate seismic disruption scenarios into contingency plans for assignees and visiting executives.
Local hotels reported minimal cancellations, signalling traveller confidence in the island’s infrastructure resilience. Nevertheless, corporate travel departments are urged to keep employees enrolled in real-time alert systems and to verify that travel insurance covers force-majeure delays linked to natural disasters.
