Cyprus’ Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) has issued two NOTAMs – A1061/26 and A1062/26 – covering large swathes of upper airspace (FL240–FL280) along airways L53 and L609 between 05:30 and 15:00 local time on 28–29 September due to NATO-style air-to-air refuelling drills. All civil aircraft transiting the SUVAS–STEPA–ANIDE and VANZA–KONFO corridors must remain in radar contact with Nicosia ACC or file tactical re-routes to avoid the block altitudes. While the vertical block sits above most narrow-body cruise levels, the closure intersects multiple departure and arrival flows from Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO). Flight-planning platform Eurocontrol NM has already registered minor delays as dispatchers build extra track mileage into routings to Athens, Tel Aviv and Cairo. Business-jet operators using flexible altitudes are the most affected, with several rerouted via the Egyptian FIR to skirt the exercise area. Hermes Airports, the operator of Larnaca and Paphos, said no commercial flights have been cancelled but advised passengers to monitor airline notifications. The air-refuel mission is part of a monthly training cycle that Cyprus hosts for regional partners; similar drills in July generated holding patterns of up to 20 minutes, prompting calls from the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents for more predictable publication of NOTAM windows. For mobility managers the key takeaway is that Cyprus remains an active military training hub whose airspace can narrow at short notice. Companies should brief travellers transiting the island to allow buffer times and ensure crew are aware of radio mandatory zones when deviations push flights closer to non-controlled segments of the Nicosia FIR. The NOTAMs are scheduled to expire at 10:20 and 15:00 on 29 September respectively, after which standard routings should resume. Operators planning late-week rotations can therefore expect normal capacity, barring weather or unrelated ATC constraints.
