Larnaca airport has been packed since morning, transforming into a repatriation hub for hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals either stranded in Cyprus or travelling from other countries to catch special flights to Haifa or Tel Aviv.
Security measures both inside and outside the international airport are extremely tight. Most armed police officers have been deployed in the departures hall, where long queues of mainly Israelis waiting for flights arranged for the coming hours have formed in front of ticket control points.
Dozens of passengers, mainly Americans, rushed to the airport shortly after 10am on Wednesday after arriving from Haifa aboard the luxury cruise ship Crown Iris.
The vessel carried over 1,500 foreign nationals, primarily Americans, Canadians and Australians, and will make four voyages to remove foreign nationals via Larnaca port and transport people stranded in Cyprus to Israel via Limassol port.
“We feel safe in Cyprus,” said Neil Sahar, who rushed to Larnaca airport with friends shortly after the ship’s arrival to find a flight via a third country to return to the US. “I was in Haifa on holiday and the situation, especially at night, was terrifying. We had to go to shelters. We were scared. We knew there was a good chance of surviving, but there was still fear, as it was a situation we had never experienced before”.
Crystal Moise from Minnesota said she was in Israel on holiday with a group of other Americans and managed to secure a place on the ship that arrived at Larnaca port in the morning. “We were scared because of the situation. At night we had to go to the shelters,” she said.
Israeli nationals who travelled to Larnaca airport from European countries are desperately seeking flights to return to Israel. “We want to return home. We just arrived from Moldova and have no flight to return. We’re searching and hoping to be lucky. I have my wife and children there and they tell me there are missile attacks every few hours. It’s very difficult, I’m worried,” said Alexander Teizer.
His friend Alexander Edezon said their concern was to find an immediate flight to return to their families. “We talk constantly and they tell us the situation is difficult. We will try our luck and attempt to get on any flight we can to return to Israel as soon as possible. We hope the situation will normalise soon”.
The luckiest are approximately 1,000 passengers who were in Cyprus on holiday and are expected to return soon on the special flights that have been arranged.
A pregnant woman, Limo, with her two children, who was staying in Ayia Napa, said they secured tickets to travel to Haifa. “We had come to Cyprus for four days and ended up staying another four. I’m afraid to return because of my children, but we have to go back”.
Lisa, who was in Larnaca for her husband’s birthday, said they were supposed to leave last Sunday but will now do so today on the special flights. “I’m not afraid. What I want is to return home. I want to go back for my children and grandchildren. I want to be with them,” she noted.
A total of 13 special flights are expected to operate today, nine to Haifa and four to Tel Aviv. International news agencies are also covering the repatriation process at Larnaca airport.
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