The European Commission on Thursday sent Cyprus a reasoned opinion over its “shortcomings in the implementation of airport security and surveillance”, while also raising wider concerns about the state of civil aviation on the island.

The reasoned opinion stated that Cyprus had “failed to ensure … that the airport operator of Larnaca and Paphos airports correctly complies with all applicable EU requirements in their respective airport manuals, including those relating to rescue and firefighting services”.

In addition, the commission said it “has concerns as to whether the civil aviation department in Cyprus has sufficient qualified staff in all the required technical areas to be able to effectively carry out its oversight tasks related to the airports”.

“These issues were identified during an inspection carried out by the European Union safety agency in 2020 and were highlighted by the commission in the letter of formal notice sent to Cyprus on November 16, 2023,” it said.

Given that Cyprus had not yet resolved the these issues, the commission said, it is now sending a reasoned opinion, to which Cyprus has been given two months to “respond and take the necessary measures”.

Otherwise, it said, it “may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union”.

While the commission did not publicly specify which aspects of the EU’s regulations related to airport safety Cyprus had not implemented, Thursday’s reasoned opinion is not the first time concerns have been raised regarding security at an airport on the island.