in-cyprus 29 June 2025
France has completed its scheduled evacuation flights carried out this week as part of Cyprus’s activation of the national ESTIA plan, the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Saturday.
Seven flights departed from Israel carrying 395 third-country citizens, bringing the total number of people assisted in their departure through the national ESTIA plan to 608.
Additionally, 296 third-country citizens departed on assisted special commercial flights for repatriation, whilst over 3,000 citizens found themselves temporarily in Cyprus during this period due to flight diversions until they reached their final destinations.
Conflict triggers widespread evacuations
The conflict between Israel and Iran has forced many countries in the Middle East to close their airspace, with Israeli jets and Iranian exploding drones and missiles flying over their skies. Thousands of flights to and from Europe were affected.
Major airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, and American carriers have suspended services to Israel and neighbouring countries due to safety concerns.
Cyprus activated its ESTIA plan on 13 June following President Christodoulides’ convening of an extraordinary national security council. The plan is activated in case of emergency or crisis, to allow for the safe evacuation of civilians from a nearby crisis area through Cyprus.
Cypriot nationals repatriated
A total of 53 Cypriot nationals who were in Israel and Iran departed from those countries, with the majority repatriating to Cyprus.
Cyprus has extensive experience as an evacuation hub, having assisted thousands of third-country nationals during the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The island was also used as a transit point for evacuating mainly British nationals from Sudan in 2023.
ESTIA is Cyprus’s National Action Plan, which may also be implemented in cases of natural disasters in the region requiring the evacuation of EU and third-country citizens.
