Cyprus Airways restores daily Larnaca–Tel Aviv service, boosting East-Med connectivity
Cyprus and Egypt review 2024 labour-mobility pact, pledge faster hiring channels
Wizz Air unveils Athens and Madrid routes as it scales Larnaca hub
Latest News
Cyprus charts course to turn migration into an economic asset under new EU Pact
Cyprus has enacted the core elements of the EU Migration & Asylum Pact and outlined an ambitious plan to cut asylum backlogs, speed up work-permit processing for skilled staff and toughen return operations. Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides said the goal is to turn migration into an economic advantage while safeguarding borders and EU legal standards. Employers will benefit from a new 15-day ‘Skills Channel’, but irregular migrants will face quicker screening and readmission.
Deportations top 500 as Cyprus doubles down on returns and voluntary departures
Cyprus has removed 535 migrants so far in 2026, alongside more than 2,000 voluntary departures, signalling a tougher stance on irregular stay and employment. With arrests focused on hotels, farms and construction sites, corporate mobility teams should verify permit validity before the government raises over-stay fines on 1 July.
Cyprus, Greece, Italy & Malta issue joint call for EU-wide contingency plan against new migrant wave
At an EU mini-summit hosted by Cyprus, the governments of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta demanded a pre-agreed EU crisis protocol—including relocations and border controls—to handle any sudden spike in Mediterranean arrivals. The move signals possible travel-document and carrier-liability changes that could affect airlines and mobility managers this summer.
Turkey’s absence highlights geopolitical fault-lines at Cyprus-hosted EU-Middle East summit
Turkey was not invited to the EU-Middle East summit hosted by Cyprus, underscoring stalled EU-Turkey relations and exposing gaps in regional migration management. The diplomatic snub highlights potential flashpoints for aviation routes, over-flight rights and future visa dialogue that mobility planners should watch.
GCC chief in Nicosia presses for visa waiver and new air-rail corridors between Gulf and Europe
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi used the Cyprus summit to lobby for a Schengen visa-waiver and new air-rail freight corridors linking the Gulf to Europe, arguing that secure, diversified routes are essential for energy and passenger flows. Cyprus backs the idea, seeing an opportunity to cement its role as a logistics and business-travel hub.