Parliament hears Cyprus air-traffic control is 50 controllers short, raising risk of flight delays from 2027

Members of the Cypriot House Defence and Transport Committees were told on 17 September that the country’s air-traffic control (ATC) service is operating with just 90 certified controllers—around 50 fewer than the 140 posts authorised for the Nicosia Flight Information Region. The staffing gap, highlighted by the Pancyprian Air Traffic Controllers’ Union (PASEEK), comes as passenger volumes at Larnaca and Paphos airports return to pre-pandemic highs. Union president George Georgiou warned MPs that controllers already handle complex conditions, including frequent Turkish military incursions that require rapid de-confliction. A recent near miss, when a Turkish A400 military aircraft entered Cypriot airspace without coordination, underscored the pressure on exhausted teams. The government has 15 new recruits in training and is considering reviving a long-stalled plan to spin the ATC service into a state-owned air-navigation company that could hire on more flexible terms. However, MPs heard that without decisive action, chronic understaffing could trigger systematic slot restrictions and summer-2027 delays reminiscent of the air-traffic bottlenecks seen elsewhere in Europe this year. For business travellers and relocation managers, the risk is medium-term but real: fewer controllers mean less capacity to absorb weather or technical disruptions, potentially lengthening journey times for assignees and air-cargo shipments. Companies with time-critical operations should include longer connection buffers for flights routed through Cyprus and keep watch for any industrial-relations fallout as extra overtime is demanded of existing staff. Industry observers note that Cyprus’ attractiveness as a regional hub for back-office and fintech operations depends on reliable air links. A modernised ANSP with adequate staffing is therefore not just a safety imperative but a competitiveness issue for the island’s global-mobility ecosystem.