Cyprus’ defence minister Vassilis Palmas confirmed on 2 February 2026 that the United States Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) covering the Nicosia Flight Information Region (FIR). The advisory—prompted by heightened friction between Washington and Tehran—urges commercial carriers to exercise caution when operating in Cypriot airspace, although it stops short of imposing routing bans.
Palmas stressed there is no concrete intelligence pointing to an imminent threat, describing the measure as part of a broader US effort to maintain diplomatic pressure on Iran while signalling vigilance to airlines. The NOTAM follows similar advisories for parts of Iraq, Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean and will be reviewed daily.
For multinational employers flying assignees or critical staff via Larnaca or Paphos, the alert should have minimal immediate impact. Insurance providers have not raised war-risk premiums, and major carriers such as Aegean, British Airways and Emirates have retained their schedules. Nevertheless, corporates are advised to update travel-risk assessments, brief travellers on potential short-notice reroutings, and ensure mobile numbers are registered with company tracking tools.
![US issues precautionary NOTAM for Cyprus airspace amid Iran tensions]()
Should rerouting force travellers to transit through alternative gateways or require emergency stopovers, firms can streamline visa procurement through VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/). The platform provides real-time entry requirements for dozens of nationalities and offers expedited document handling—particularly useful when travel managers are juggling shifting flight paths and tight deployment deadlines.
Cyprus’ strategic location—hosting British Sovereign Base Areas and serving as a medical-evacuation staging post—means geopolitical ripples can translate quickly into commercial aviation constraints. Mobility managers should keep open lines with travel management companies and avoid tight connection windows through hubs bordering conflict zones.
If tensions ease, the NOTAM is expected to lapse without fanfare; escalation, however, could trigger airlines to reroute east-west traffic south of Cyprus, affecting flight times and duty-of-care calculations.
Palmas stressed there is no concrete intelligence pointing to an imminent threat, describing the measure as part of a broader US effort to maintain diplomatic pressure on Iran while signalling vigilance to airlines. The NOTAM follows similar advisories for parts of Iraq, Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean and will be reviewed daily.
For multinational employers flying assignees or critical staff via Larnaca or Paphos, the alert should have minimal immediate impact. Insurance providers have not raised war-risk premiums, and major carriers such as Aegean, British Airways and Emirates have retained their schedules. Nevertheless, corporates are advised to update travel-risk assessments, brief travellers on potential short-notice reroutings, and ensure mobile numbers are registered with company tracking tools.
Should rerouting force travellers to transit through alternative gateways or require emergency stopovers, firms can streamline visa procurement through VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/). The platform provides real-time entry requirements for dozens of nationalities and offers expedited document handling—particularly useful when travel managers are juggling shifting flight paths and tight deployment deadlines.
Cyprus’ strategic location—hosting British Sovereign Base Areas and serving as a medical-evacuation staging post—means geopolitical ripples can translate quickly into commercial aviation constraints. Mobility managers should keep open lines with travel management companies and avoid tight connection windows through hubs bordering conflict zones.
If tensions ease, the NOTAM is expected to lapse without fanfare; escalation, however, could trigger airlines to reroute east-west traffic south of Cyprus, affecting flight times and duty-of-care calculations.
