Hermes Airports, the operator of Larnaca and Paphos airports, confirmed that 66 passenger flights were cancelled on 4 March as the regional security crisis spilled over into commercial aviation. Despite the grounding, 103 flights operated as scheduled, maintaining air links with 22 countries from Larnaca and 13 from Paphos. The bulk of the cancellations involved services to Tel Aviv, Haifa, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman, but a British Airways evening rotation to London-Heathrow was also pulled, highlighting knock-on effects beyond the Middle East. Low-cost giant Wizz Air extended its suspension of Israel and Gulf routes until at least 15 March, while flag carrier Cyprus Airways said it is considering wet-leasing capacity to repatriate stranded passengers once air corridors reopen. Business travellers were urged to check airline apps before heading to the airports, as same-day cancellations are likely while air-defence alerts remain elevated. Logistic firms warned that belly-hold cargo disruptions could delay high-tech shipments bound for European distribution centres that rely on Cyprus as a transit point. Travel-risk consultants say companies should build longer connection windows, activate traveller-tracking tools and ensure that employees have multi-entry Schengen visas or EU residence cards in case rerouting via Athens or Bucharest becomes necessary.
Source: Cyprus Mail
