Is it safe to fly to Cyprus and are flights being cancelled? Latest travel and holiday news as tensions rise in neighbouring Syria
A MISSILE alert warning was issued to pilots flying into and out of Cyprus and other countries near Syria last week.
Air traffic control chiefs warned airlines they may be caught in military strikes as tensions mount between the US and Russia – with the UK joining coalition strikes on the Assad regime.
Were flights to Cyprus disrupted?
The "rapid alert" was issued by Eurocontrol on Wednesday (April 11), telling pilots that "due consideration needs to be taken" of possible air-to-ground strikes or cruise missiles into Syria "within the next 72 hours".
Meanwhile, other major airlines were re-routed flights on Wednesday.
Kuwait Airways also halted flights to Beirut on Thursday after a warning about flying close to Lebanese airspace.
Flights to Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri International Airport will be suspended after officials received a security warning from authorities in Cyprus.
The alert read: “Due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria with air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles within the next 72 hours, and the possibility of intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment, due consideration needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean/Nicosia FIR area.”
Donald Trump earlier warned Russia and Syria to “get ready” because “nice, new and smart missiles will be coming”.
Airlines, including easyJet and Air France, re-routed flights after Europe’s air traffic control agency warned them to be ready for military strikes.
On April 10 the USS Harry Truman
Overnight on Friday, April 13, British jets joined American and French forces in launching air strikes on chemical weapons facilities in Syria.
The three nations launched more than 100 airstrikes in a "one-time shot", that was more than double the firepower of the US airstrike on a Syrian base last year.
Donald Trump said British and French military forces had joined the campaign in response to the "evil and despicable crimes of a monster".
Following the strikes, Brits living and holidaying in Cyprus were on high alert amid fears of a Russian retaliation.
A defence source said: “We are confident the Russians won’t try to attack but we do have a contingency plan to get people out.”
But one Brit resident said: “I know we are being told the Russians won’t strike but I don’t trust them.”
Russia’s US envoy Anatoly Antonov has warned the Allied bombing raids “will not be left without consequences”.
Is is safe to travel to Cyprus?
The UK’s Foreign Office has not issued any advice about travel to Cyprus as a result of the unfolding situation, though.
They simply advise that terrorist attacks in Cyprus can’t be ruled out and that they could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sun Online: "Travellers are advised to set up Travel Advice alerts for any country they might be concerned about on the advice page."
In fact, Cyprus is considered the 36th safest country in the world according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) - who publish an annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.
The report looks at the cost of common crime and violence, the number of terrorist incidents, how reliable the local police are and the homicide rate in each country per 100,000 of the population.
Around a million Brits visit Cyprus annually and the country takes 36th place on the global safety scale.
They are seen as one of the safest country for homicides, affecting 0.1 per 100,000 of the population, but rime against tourists is not common, so visitors are advised to keep passports, money and other valuables safe.
A British High Commission spokesperson told the Cyprus Mail: “The fact of the matter is we have not changed our travel advice for Cyprus and have no plans to do so."
What is RAF Akrotiri?
Four British Tornado warplanes which took part in the Syrian missile strikes flew from air base RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Following the strikes, around 350 protesters from communist organisations in Cyprus gathered in front of the British air base to demand its closure while denouncing the attacks on the suspected chemical weapons sites.
Protest leader Akis Poullos said Sunday's demonstration was also a message to the Cyprus government not to lend any assistance to "imperialist attacks" on Syria and to demand an end to the war in the country.
Protesters used red paint to write "NATO killers go home" on a nearby wall outside the base's gate.
Former colonial ruler Britain retained RAF Akrotiri and another military base on Cyprus after the east Mediterranean island gained independence in 1960.
The government of Cyprus said it wasn't given any forewarning about Saturday's airstrikes.
It also said PM Theresa May assured Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades that there's no danger to Cyprus and that Cypriots can feel secure.
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