Budget carrier easyJet lifted its three-day suspension of flights to Cyprus at dawn on 5 March, putting its full London Gatwick–Larnaca rotation back in the air only hours after Cypriot and British authorities declared the airspace around RAF Akrotiri safe. The airline had cancelled dozens of UK-Cyprus and continental services between 2 and 4 March after an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck the British base’s runway, prompting a regional security review and temporary ground-handling restrictions at both Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO) airports. In a statement, easyJet said that all core Gatwick, Berlin and Basel links to Larnaca resumed on 5 March, while Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh services to Paphos would be phased in between 5–7 March. Additional continental routes are expected to follow from 9 March, subject to daily risk assessments by Hermes Airports and the Deputy Ministry of Aviation. The carrier continues to waive change fees, offer refunds or reroute passengers whose itineraries were disrupted during the security pause. Although Cyprus’s two international gateways never closed, more than 180 movements were cancelled or diverted during the 72-hour alert window, according to airport operator data.
![easyJet Restarts Larnaca & Paphos Services as Cyprus Re-opens to UK and EU Carriers]()
For travelers now scrambling to rebook flights or adjust onward itineraries, VisaHQ can simplify at least one part of the equation: checking and securing the correct paperwork. Through its dedicated Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service lets passengers and corporate travel planners verify real-time entry requirements, apply for any needed visas or electronic authorizations, and even arrange courier-assisted processing—helping ensure that documentation issues don’t add to the disruption.
British Airways and Jet2 kept skeleton operations running, but tour operators such as TUI mirrored easyJet’s temporary halt. Industry analysts estimate that the stoppage shaved roughly €7 million off early-March tourism receipts—a figure the hoteliers’ association hopes to claw back if confidence rebounds before the Easter peak. Travel managers are advising corporate travellers to monitor airline apps for rolling schedule changes and to build extra contingency time into onward connections. Insurers are likewise reminding firms that most standard travel policies exclude war-related disruptions; specialist ‘high-risk destination’ cover may now be prudent for staff transiting the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite the incident, Cypriot officials stress that neither of the island’s commercial airports were targets and that layered counter-drone defences are being augmented in cooperation with UK, French and Greek naval assets in theatre.
For travelers now scrambling to rebook flights or adjust onward itineraries, VisaHQ can simplify at least one part of the equation: checking and securing the correct paperwork. Through its dedicated Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service lets passengers and corporate travel planners verify real-time entry requirements, apply for any needed visas or electronic authorizations, and even arrange courier-assisted processing—helping ensure that documentation issues don’t add to the disruption.
British Airways and Jet2 kept skeleton operations running, but tour operators such as TUI mirrored easyJet’s temporary halt. Industry analysts estimate that the stoppage shaved roughly €7 million off early-March tourism receipts—a figure the hoteliers’ association hopes to claw back if confidence rebounds before the Easter peak. Travel managers are advising corporate travellers to monitor airline apps for rolling schedule changes and to build extra contingency time into onward connections. Insurers are likewise reminding firms that most standard travel policies exclude war-related disruptions; specialist ‘high-risk destination’ cover may now be prudent for staff transiting the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite the incident, Cypriot officials stress that neither of the island’s commercial airports were targets and that layered counter-drone defences are being augmented in cooperation with UK, French and Greek naval assets in theatre.
