In the early hours of Monday 2 March, an Iranian drone hit a UK RAF base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
In a press release, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, stated: “At midnight (00:03), a Shahed-type unmanned aircraft impacted the United Kingdom military Base Area of Akrotiri, causing minor material damage. From the outset, all relevant authorities of the Republic of Cyprus have remained on high alert and in full operational readiness. At the same time, I have immediately convened the National Security Council to assess the situation at hand. The National Security Council remains in continuous consultation. Concurrently, I remain in constant contact with all European leaders and leaders of other countries regarding developments.”
He continued: “We are in a region of particular geopolitical instability, facing many challenges and difficulties. The region is currently facing an unprecedented crisis. I wish to be clear: our country is not involved in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation… Our actions are guided by our commitment to the safety of this country and its citizens.”
Despite Christodoulides’ insistence that Cyprus just isn’t concerned in the ongoing conflict and the regional escalations ongoing throughout the Middle East following Israeli and American motion towards Iran, airways are taking precautionary measures.
At the time of writing, the UK Government’s official recommendation for British nationals states, “On 2 March 2026, the Sovereign Base Areas Administration confirmed a suspected drone impact at RAF Akrotiri. British nationals in the Sovereign Base Areas should follow instructions from the Sovereign Base Areas Administration British Bases Cyprus Facebook. British nationals in the Republic of Cyprus should follow any instructions from the Cypriot local authorities.”
The FCDO additionally features a observe about regional pressure and the way escalation might lead to travel disruption as a part of its updates to its official travel recommendation for Cyprus.
While a number of flights are set to run as scheduled in the coming days, a handful of Easyjet flights to Larnaca and Paphos had been cancelled on Monday 2 March, with travellers urged to keep up to date through the airline’s flight tracker.
Meanwhile, travellers scheduled to fly to Cyprus with British Airways have been issued the following assertion: “If you are travelling between London and Larnaca on or before 15 March, you can change your flight date free of charge to travel on or before 29 March.”