Cyprus is served by two international airports, Larnaca Airport (LCA) and Paphos Airport (PFO), both operated by Hermes Airports. Between them they handle the great majority of arrivals to the island, and disruption at either can affect tens of thousands of passengers within a day.
Cancellations here tend to come from a small number of recurring causes. Regional airspace closures and security incidents have grounded or diverted flights on several occasions, given the island's position in the eastern Mediterranean. Strikes, whether by airline staff, ground handlers or air traffic control elsewhere in Europe, regularly affect Cyprus routes. Weather is a less frequent cause than in northern Europe but strong winds and, occasionally, dust storms do close airport runways or slow down operations. Airlines also cancel for commercial and technical reasons, particularly on thinner winter schedules.
Cyprus Mail reports on disruption as it happens, covering which airlines and routes are affected, what the airports are advising, and how long the disruption is expected to last.
Check directly with your airline first. Airlines notify passengers by email and text, and their own websites and apps are updated faster than any third-party source. The live arrivals and departures boards for Larnaca and Paphos will show the current status of individual flights.
Do not travel to the airport if your flight is already showing as cancelled unless your airline has told you to.
If you booked as part of a package holiday, contact your tour operator rather than the airline. Your rights under a package are different, and generally stronger.
Cyprus is a member state of the European Union, so flights departing from Cyprus, and flights arriving in Cyprus on an EU or UK airline, are covered by air passenger rights rules. In broad terms, if your flight is cancelled you are entitled to choose between a refund of your ticket or a re-routing to your destination, and while you are waiting your airline must provide care — meals, refreshments and, where an overnight stay is needed, accommodation and transport to it.
Compensation on top of that depends on the circumstances. It is generally payable when the cancellation is the airline's responsibility and you were given short notice, and generally not payable when the cause is outside the airline's control, which is how airspace closures, severe weather and third-party strikes are usually treated.
These rules are more detailed than a summary allows, and the amount you are owed depends on the distance of your flight and how much notice you were given. Passengers should check the current rules with their airline and, if a claim is disputed, with the relevant national enforcement body.
Larnaca is the larger of the two airports and serves the east and centre of the island, including Nicosia, Ayia Napa and Protaras. Paphos serves the west, including Coral Bay and Polis. Most UK traffic is carried by easyJet, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair and British Airways, alongside the Cyprus-based carrier and a wide range of European and Middle Eastern airlines.
Notes for implementation
