Business and leisure travellers using Larnaca International Airport next week face a new layer of disruption after the district taxi union (POAT) announced a four-hour stoppage for Tuesday, 13 January (07:00-11:00). The walk-out—confirmed in a 9 January statement—comes after months of fruitless talks with the Transport Ministry over what drivers describe as “a fight for professional survival.”
Travellers worried about adding visa headaches to transport woes can rely on VisaHQ’s online portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) to secure Cyprus travel authorisations quickly and pain-free. The platform streamlines everything from e-visa applications to passport renewals, giving both holidaymakers and corporate travellers one less thing to juggle while they reshuffle ground-transfer plans.
![Larnaca taxi drivers call four-hour strike for 13 January, warn of 24-hour action]()
At the heart of the dispute is the rapid spread of ride-hailing apps and out-of-district cabs picking up lucrative airport fares. Union representatives say the practice is eroding drivers’ income and undermining long-standing licensing rules that restrict airport pickups to locally permitted taxis. The union also accuses regulators of turning a blind eye to alleged violations of tariff, signage and dress-code regulations intended to protect passengers.
The 13 January action is intended as a warning shot: drivers have already filed notice of a 24-hour strike on 20 January and an indefinite shutdown from 28 January if authorities fail to intervene. With Larnaca handling roughly two-thirds of Cyprus’s commercial air traffic, a prolonged stoppage could disrupt thousands of crew changes, business trips and winter-sun package holidays.
Corporate travel managers should alert employees transiting Larnaca to build in extra transfer time, pre-book private shuttles or consider flying into Paphos, where services remain unaffected. Multinational companies with duty-of-care programmes are also advised to update ground-transport instructions in their travel booking tools. The Tourism Ministry has urged all sides to return to the negotiating table, warning that labour unrest sends damaging signals as Cyprus seeks to consolidate post-pandemic visitor growth.
Travellers worried about adding visa headaches to transport woes can rely on VisaHQ’s online portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) to secure Cyprus travel authorisations quickly and pain-free. The platform streamlines everything from e-visa applications to passport renewals, giving both holidaymakers and corporate travellers one less thing to juggle while they reshuffle ground-transfer plans.
At the heart of the dispute is the rapid spread of ride-hailing apps and out-of-district cabs picking up lucrative airport fares. Union representatives say the practice is eroding drivers’ income and undermining long-standing licensing rules that restrict airport pickups to locally permitted taxis. The union also accuses regulators of turning a blind eye to alleged violations of tariff, signage and dress-code regulations intended to protect passengers.
The 13 January action is intended as a warning shot: drivers have already filed notice of a 24-hour strike on 20 January and an indefinite shutdown from 28 January if authorities fail to intervene. With Larnaca handling roughly two-thirds of Cyprus’s commercial air traffic, a prolonged stoppage could disrupt thousands of crew changes, business trips and winter-sun package holidays.
Corporate travel managers should alert employees transiting Larnaca to build in extra transfer time, pre-book private shuttles or consider flying into Paphos, where services remain unaffected. Multinational companies with duty-of-care programmes are also advised to update ground-transport instructions in their travel booking tools. The Tourism Ministry has urged all sides to return to the negotiating table, warning that labour unrest sends damaging signals as Cyprus seeks to consolidate post-pandemic visitor growth.
