Is it safe to travel to Cyprus? Latest Foreign Office advice revealed
The advice for people visiting Cyprus has changed.
The UK Foreign Office has updated its official government advice for people travelling to Cyprus amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
People planning to visit the Mediterranean island, which is the closest European country to Israel, are asked to allow themselves extra time when they are on their way home.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website reads: ‘Due to the current situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the airport operator is advising passengers flying out of Larnaca and Paphos airports to arrive at their terminals at least 3 hours before their flight’s scheduled departure time.’
For the latest on the Israel-Hamas conflict, check out our live blog
Hermes Airports, the operator of both facilities, says this advice has been issued due to ‘additional security measures’ being put in place.
Larnaca and Paphos are among the most popular destinations for British holidaymakers travelling to Cyprus, with October weather usually offering temperatures around 30C.
No other new formal advice has been given by the Foreign Office for travellers visiting the island.
An average of around 1.3 million UK tourists spend time on Cyprus every year, the largest demographic of the roughly four million who visit in total.
On Saturday, it was reported that four people had been arrested on suspicion of setting off a small explosive device near the Israeli embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.
The country’s police said the suspects, who are aged between 17 and 21, face charges of attempted destruction of property using explosives, possession and use of explosives and possession of a knife.
They would not say whether they believed the bombing, which caused no damage, was related to the war in Gaza.
Officers said two of the suspects were spotted walking near the scene of the explosion, while the other two were sitting inside a car parked in a nearby alley.
All four will remain in police detention for six days until investigators can either formally bring charges against them or release them.
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