Multiple airlines cancelled or suspended flights to and from Cyprus on 2 March 2026 after a drone strike on the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base and a subsequent security alert disrupted aviation operations, forcing carriers to adjust schedules at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
Hermes Airports, which manages both airports, reported around 60 flight cancellations on Monday, affecting services operated by the Lufthansa Group and carriers including Cyprus Airways, Wizz Air, Sky Express and Aegean Airlines. easyJet separately suspended UK–Cyprus services until Thursday.
The cancellations followed an overnight unmanned drone strike reported at RAF Akrotiri and the evacuation of the passenger terminal at Paphos after a suspect object was detected on radar, according to Reuters. The disruption comes amid wider regional security tensions that have affected flight operations across parts of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Flight cancellations expand beyond easyJet
Hermes Airports said easyJet and the Lufthansa Group suspended flights to and from Cyprus on Monday following the incidents, with easyJet’s action covering UK links to Larnaca and Paphos, and the Lufthansa Group cancelling services to Munich, Vienna and Zurich.
A separate report by KNEWS (Kathimerini Cyprus) said approximately 60 flights were cancelled on Monday due to escalating tensions, including 42 flights at Larnaca International Airport and 18 at Paphos International Airport. KNEWS reported that airlines impacted included Cyprus Airways, Wizz Air, Sky Express and Aegean Airlines on routes linked to the Middle East, while the Lufthansa Group cancelled its flights from Cyprus for the day, citing security restrictions and regional developments.
In the UK market, British Airways cancelled same-day services to Larnaca from London airports, while easyJet cancelled several UK–Cyprus rotations on 2 March. Airlines have offered rebooking and refund options to passengers affected by disruptions, and some operators have advised travellers to monitor flight status tools as schedules change.
Airport disruption and passenger impact
Cyprus’ Paphos airport, on the island’s western coast, was evacuated on 2 March after radars detected a suspect object, and aircraft took off from RAF Akrotiri after sirens sounded at the base later that day. Paphos lies roughly 60 kilometres from the British base, a strategic installation on the island used for military operations in the region.
It is estimated that roughly 5,000 passengers could be affected by the cancellations, assuming typical loads of 80 to 90 travellers per flight. The concentration of cancellations at Larnaca, the island’s main international airport, increases the risk of knock-on disruption for connecting passengers and tour operators, including travellers transiting Cyprus for onward regional destinations.
Airlines and airport operators continue to review schedules as the security environment evolves. Travellers booked to Cyprus in the coming days face potential further changes, particularly on routes from the UK and Central Europe and on services connected to regional destinations where carriers are reassessing operational risk.
Photo Credit: Shevchenko Andrey / Shutterstock.com
