COVID19: Around 300 Russians stranded in Cyprus

About 300 Russian nationals who want to return home are stranded in Cyprus amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Russian embassy in Nicosia said.

It said on April 10, as many as 169 Russians returned home from Cyprus on an Aeroflot flight from Larnaca to St. Petersburg-Moscow.

“The embassy spared no effort to organize the repatriation of our nationals. About 300 our compatriots still have to stay in Cyprus following the halt in air service. We will continue to provide assistance to Russian nationals staying on the island,” the embassy said on its Facebook account.

Cyprus has banned all commercial flights, but repatriation flights are allowed in and out of the country.

Three repatriation flight will take place at Larnaca Airport on Monday to transport passengers who were stuck in Cyprus or abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic.

CNA said a Bulgarian Air flight from Sofia is scheduled to land at Larnaca airport at around 16.45 local time, carrying 38 passengers.

An Aegean flight from London`s Heathrow Airport is also expected to arrive at Larnaca with more than 100 passengers, mostly students belonging to vulnerable groups, who have expressed their desire to return to Cyprus.

A Bulgarian Air flight will depart to Sofia from Larnaca Airport at around 17.25, carrying a currently unknown number of passengers.

Around 5,000 Cypriots abroad have expressed a wish to return home, although most of them are university students who the government said must where they are for now.

There are exceptions for those on foundation courses or in their first year of study.