Hermes Airports confirmed on 9 March that the most significant wave of flight resumptions since the 2 March drone strike on RAF Akrotiri is now under way at both of Cyprus’ international gateways. Lufthansa, Austrian, Edelweiss and Eurowings operated their first rotations back to Larnaca over the weekend, followed by British Airways, easyJet and Transavia. Long-haul connectivity also improved when Emirates reinstated its daily Larnaca–Dubai service on Saturday. In total, 102 flights are timetabled at Larnaca and 36 at Paphos for Monday alone – double last week’s volumes.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
The airport operator stressed that the return of Europe-bound services is critical for Cyprus’ tourism economy, which relies on roughly 4 million annual arrivals, 75 % of whom originate in the EU-27 and United Kingdom. Tour operators such as TUI and Jet2 had warned of programme cuts unless a “credible timetable” for restoring capacity was issued before the Easter peak. Monday’s update allows them to reinstate seat allocations and resume marketing campaigns aimed at late-bookers.(cyprus-mail.com)
If you or your clients are unsure about current entry rules while booking these reinstated flights, VisaHQ can simplify the process by providing real-time visa requirement checks, digital applications and courier assistance for Cyprus and many other destinations—all accessible through one platform at https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/
![Cyprus-Europe air links rebound as Lufthansa Group, BA, easyJet and Emirates return to Larnaca & Paphos]()
Behind the scenes, Cyprus’ Civil Aviation Authority has been coordinating with EASA to revise the conflict-zone notice covering the Eastern Mediterranean. The new NOTAM keeps lower-altitude corridors to Israel, Qatar, Bahrain and Lebanon closed, but clears over-water routings to Greece, Italy and Egypt once aircraft climb above 26,000 ft. This partial reopening enabled Lufthansa Group carriers to rout via Crete and the Ionian Sea, avoiding restricted airspace while keeping block times within 15-minute tolerances.
For companies managing assignee travel, the key takeaway is that most intra-EU itineraries can again be booked on a same-day basis, albeit with schedule volatility. Mobility managers are advised to: 1) avoid split-tickets until timetables stabilise; 2) verify insurance coverage for war-risk regions still on exclusion lists; and 3) alert travellers that enhanced security screening (including random explosive-trace tests) remains in force at both airports.
Industry analysts say the speed of the rebound underscores Cyprus’ strategic importance as a Mediterranean hub. "The island cannot afford prolonged connectivity shocks," notes CAPA Centre for Aviation, predicting passenger numbers will recover to 90 % of the pre-incident baseline by May if no further attacks occur.
The airport operator stressed that the return of Europe-bound services is critical for Cyprus’ tourism economy, which relies on roughly 4 million annual arrivals, 75 % of whom originate in the EU-27 and United Kingdom. Tour operators such as TUI and Jet2 had warned of programme cuts unless a “credible timetable” for restoring capacity was issued before the Easter peak. Monday’s update allows them to reinstate seat allocations and resume marketing campaigns aimed at late-bookers.(cyprus-mail.com)
If you or your clients are unsure about current entry rules while booking these reinstated flights, VisaHQ can simplify the process by providing real-time visa requirement checks, digital applications and courier assistance for Cyprus and many other destinations—all accessible through one platform at https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/
Behind the scenes, Cyprus’ Civil Aviation Authority has been coordinating with EASA to revise the conflict-zone notice covering the Eastern Mediterranean. The new NOTAM keeps lower-altitude corridors to Israel, Qatar, Bahrain and Lebanon closed, but clears over-water routings to Greece, Italy and Egypt once aircraft climb above 26,000 ft. This partial reopening enabled Lufthansa Group carriers to rout via Crete and the Ionian Sea, avoiding restricted airspace while keeping block times within 15-minute tolerances.
For companies managing assignee travel, the key takeaway is that most intra-EU itineraries can again be booked on a same-day basis, albeit with schedule volatility. Mobility managers are advised to: 1) avoid split-tickets until timetables stabilise; 2) verify insurance coverage for war-risk regions still on exclusion lists; and 3) alert travellers that enhanced security screening (including random explosive-trace tests) remains in force at both airports.
Industry analysts say the speed of the rebound underscores Cyprus’ strategic importance as a Mediterranean hub. "The island cannot afford prolonged connectivity shocks," notes CAPA Centre for Aviation, predicting passenger numbers will recover to 90 % of the pre-incident baseline by May if no further attacks occur.
