Air traffic controllers report safety concerns over Turkish military aircraft in Nicosia FIR

On August 19-20, 2026, the Pancyprian Air Traffic Controllers’ Trade Union reported a hazardous incident within the Nicosia Flight Information Region (FIR) involving a Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M military transport aircraft (call sign TUAF770) and a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet (call sign TOM56T). The military aircraft reportedly ignored calls from the Nicosia Area Control Centre, deviated from its flight plan, and began climbing toward flight level FL360, while the passenger jet was descending to FL350. Air traffic controllers intervened by issuing instructions to the passenger flight to adjust its path, successfully preventing a potential collision.

Following the incident, the union publicly warned that the continuous and unauthorized presence of Turkish military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in critical air corridors near Larnaca and Paphos airports constitutes a persistent danger to civil aviation. The union emphasized that Ankara’s refusal to communicate with the Nicosia control center significantly complicates the management of these daily occurrences.

In response, the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation issued a statement asserting that while Turkish operations are a long-standing challenge, the overall level of flight safety in the region remains high. Authorities characterized such incidents as manageable operational phenomena that are handled through the constant vigilance of controllers, though they acknowledged the ongoing difficulties caused by Turkey's refusal to cooperate in established flight communication protocols.