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COVID19: Cyprus to fly home Cypriots stranded in UK

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Hundreds of Cypriots stranded in the UK will be repatriated with two chartered flights under a Cyprus government coronavirus crisis management plan.

The first of the two flights will depart in the early hours of Saturday from Heathrow airport with Aegean, a source told CNA.

A second flight from the UK is also planned, but there is no final decision as to the airport of departure yet due to difficulties in finding an aircraft.

The Crisis Management Centre is considering either London or Manchester, to cover this geographical area as well. The time of departure is not final either.

Nicosia sees Cypriots in the UK as a priority, as there are more than 500 people who want to return home.

People boarding flights chartered by the government – expected to arrive in Cyprus after the universal flight ban enters into force, at 3 am on Saturday – will be exempt from restrictions.

However, the repatriation flights are not for students studying in the UK but only for people who went abroad for medical reasons, for a short stay, for business purposes or were on an official mission.

There are no real problems with Cypriots stranded in Greece and most were repatriated using scheduled flights.

As for Cypriots stranded elsewhere in Europe, these are only a few cases, which the Centre handles on an individual basis, in cooperation with Cyprus Embassies. (source CNA)