Business and leisure travellers planning to enter or exit Cyprus on Thursday face schedule turbulence after airport operator Hermes Airports confirmed that a three-hour national strike will ground or reschedule 22 flights. Nine arrivals and seven departures at Larnaca International Airport, plus three arrivals and three departures at Paphos International Airport, will be affected between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. local time.
The industrial action is part of a broader public-sector walkout over pay-scale harmonisation. Although aviation workers are not striking directly, essential airport services—such as security screening, baggage handling and air-navigation support—will halt during the stoppage. Hermes Airports said most airlines have opted to move flights forward or delay them until shortly after 3 p.m. to minimise knock-on disruption. Passengers booked on the affected services have been notified via SMS and e-mail, and real-time updates are posted on the Hermes website and social channels.
![Thursday General Strike to Disrupt 22 Flights at Larnaca and Paphos Airports]()
The timing is awkward for Cyprus’s tourist sector, which is still handling late-season visitors and a steady flow of regional business travellers. HR teams should advise assignees to reconfirm itineraries and allow extra time at the airport on Thursday morning. Travellers transiting through Cyprus on tight connections to the Middle East or Europe should ask carriers to re-issue through-tickets so that missed onward flights are protected.
Practically, employers should remind staff that EU passenger-rights Regulation 261/2004 may entitle them to re-routing and, in some cases, compensation if their arrival is delayed by more than three hours—although airlines are likely to classify Thursday’s strike as an ‘extraordinary circumstance.’ Companies with time-sensitive shipments should also verify whether their logistics providers have moved freight bookings to unaffected time slots.
The episode underlines the continuing fragility of Cyprus’s ground-handling ecosystem, which relies heavily on public-sector workers and collective agreements. With further labour negotiations scheduled for December, mobility managers may wish to build contingency buffers into Q1 2026 travel plans.
The industrial action is part of a broader public-sector walkout over pay-scale harmonisation. Although aviation workers are not striking directly, essential airport services—such as security screening, baggage handling and air-navigation support—will halt during the stoppage. Hermes Airports said most airlines have opted to move flights forward or delay them until shortly after 3 p.m. to minimise knock-on disruption. Passengers booked on the affected services have been notified via SMS and e-mail, and real-time updates are posted on the Hermes website and social channels.
The timing is awkward for Cyprus’s tourist sector, which is still handling late-season visitors and a steady flow of regional business travellers. HR teams should advise assignees to reconfirm itineraries and allow extra time at the airport on Thursday morning. Travellers transiting through Cyprus on tight connections to the Middle East or Europe should ask carriers to re-issue through-tickets so that missed onward flights are protected.
Practically, employers should remind staff that EU passenger-rights Regulation 261/2004 may entitle them to re-routing and, in some cases, compensation if their arrival is delayed by more than three hours—although airlines are likely to classify Thursday’s strike as an ‘extraordinary circumstance.’ Companies with time-sensitive shipments should also verify whether their logistics providers have moved freight bookings to unaffected time slots.
The episode underlines the continuing fragility of Cyprus’s ground-handling ecosystem, which relies heavily on public-sector workers and collective agreements. With further labour negotiations scheduled for December, mobility managers may wish to build contingency buffers into Q1 2026 travel plans.
