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Flight compensation in Cyprus: delays, cancellations and how to claim

The Republic of Cyprus has two international airports, Larnaca and Paphos, with Larnaca the busier in Eurostat’s 2024 data on routes within Europe. Ercan, in the north, is outside the area where EU law is applied. EU261 covers every departure from Larnaca and Paphos, whatever the airline, and flights to them from outside the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland when an airline licensed in one of those countries operates them.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Every flight departing from Cyprus is covered by EU261, whatever the airline: €250–€600 per passenger for a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Flights into Cyprus from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to Department of Civil Aviation (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works), and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Cyprus to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to CyprusEU261Any airline
From the UK to CyprusUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to CyprusEU261EU airlines only

Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must also provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight; after a cancellation or a 5-hour delay you can choose a refund. Care and refunds.

Check your flight from Cyprus

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What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

Rather skip the questions? Start a claim with AirHelp straight away

How much: example routes from Cyprus

Compensation per passenger for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation on the busiest international routes (Eurostat 2024):

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen737 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Larnaca – Athens930 km€250€250
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Istanbul798 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Ankara555 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Izmir665 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Antalya311 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Larnaca – Vienna2,036 km€400€400
Tymbou (Kirklar) – Adana239 km€250€250 (an EU airline)
Larnaca – Thessaloniki1,127 km€250€250
Larnaca – Warsaw Chopin2,169 km€400€400

How to claim in Cyprus

  1. Claim from the airline in writing – its online form or a letter (complaint letter generator). Keep your booking, boarding pass and receipts.
  2. National enforcement body: Department of Civil Aviation (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works) It deals with flights departing from Cyprus, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Court: the local court for the departure or arrival airport, or – for cross-border cases – the European Small Claims Procedure.

Prefer not to do it yourself? A claims company does the work for a share of the compensation – see claim companies compared.

Airports in Cyprus

Delay causes, busiest routes and seasonal patterns: flights to Cyprus · European delay statistics.

Strikes in Cyprus

No strikes affecting flights in Cyprus are announced in our strike calendar at the moment.

Strike days at Cyprus’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL recorded no arrival flow restrictions due to industrial action at Cyprus’s airports between January 2024 and 30 September 2026. Strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere and by airline staff are not included. Check a specific day.

Good to know

  • EU law, including EU261, is suspended in the areas of Cyprus not under the effective control of the Republic’s government (Protocol No 10 to the 2003 Act of Accession), so a departure from Ercan is not covered as an EU departure.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data almost all arrival flow-control delay at Larnaca and Paphos was attributed to airport capacity, peaking in August.
  • ECC Cyprus can advise on cross-border complaints; we found no Cypriot ADR body that covers airlines.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation can I get for a delayed flight in Cyprus?

Under EU261, €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km (and for every flight within the EU over 1,500 km) and €600 for longer flights (€300 if a long-haul flight arrives 3–4 hours late), per passenger, if you arrive 3 hours or more late and the airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances. It does not matter where you live – only where you flew from, where to, and with which airline.

Where do I complain in Cyprus if the airline refuses to pay?

To Department of Civil Aviation (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works), the national enforcement body for Cyprus. It handles complaints about flights departing from Cyprus and flights arriving there from outside the EU.

How long do I have to claim in Cyprus?

The time limit depends on which country’s courts hear the claim, and we have not found an authoritative statement of the period for Cyprus. Claim as soon as you can, and check with Department of Civil Aviation (Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works) or the European Consumer Centre. See time limits by country.

I live in Cyprus but my flight left from another country. Where can I claim?

Your rights depend on the flight, not on where you live. For a flight between two EU countries you can sue in the courts for the place of departure or the place of arrival (CJEU C-204/08 Rehder); for cross-border cases the European Small Claims Procedure works by post and online. The enforcement body to complain to is the one in the country where the incident happened.

Information only, not legal advice. Enforcement bodies and dispute schemes as listed by the European Commission, checked November 2026.

Sources

  1. National enforcement bodies under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 13 October 2026) – European Commission
  2. Protocol No 10 on Cyprus – Act of Accession 2003, Article 1 – EUR-Lex
  3. Αεροπορικά ταξίδια – European Consumer Centre Cyprus
  4. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  5. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  6. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  7. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  8. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  9. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  10. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  11. C-204/08 Rehder v Air Baltic (jurisdiction: place of departure or arrival) – EUR-Lex

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.