easyJet Restarts UK–Cyprus Routes After Security Pause

Low-cost carrier easyJet resumed flights from London Gatwick and Manchester to Larnaca and Paphos on 5 March, placing the first post-incident arrivals on Cypriot soil in the early hours of 6 March. The airline had suspended operations for three days after drones targeted the British military base at Akrotiri, citing crew-safety concerns. In a network-operations bulletin, easyJet said it had undertaken a joint risk assessment with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Cypriot authorities, concluding that airspace was safe provided flights follow revised routings that add six minutes to block times. Gatwick–Larnaca services now avoid a 40-nautical-mile radius around Akrotiri during final approach. Corporate-travel buyers welcomed the restart: easyJet carries roughly 28 % of UK corporate traffic to Cyprus, a lifeline for tech firms headquartered in Nicosia’s emerging fintech cluster. Early-morning rotations are critical for same-day connections onto Middle East markets, and their absence this week forced businesses to book higher-priced legacy carriers via Athens. Passengers whose outbound legs were cancelled can re-book without fees until 12 March.

Immigration authorities confirmed that travellers who overstayed visas because of grounded flights will not be penalised, provided they depart on the next available service and can show cancelled-flight documentation.



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EasyJet warned that schedules could still change at short notice if regional tensions flare. Mobility managers are urged to register traveller contact details in the company’s risk-management system and to monitor NOTAMs issued for Cyprus FIR (LCCC).