Aircraft will make low-level flypasts over Nicosia at around 11am on Tuesday in rehearsals for the October 1 military parade marking the 66th anniversary of Cyprus’s independence.
The National Guard General Staff said the flights were part of planned preparations for the parade and there was no cause for public concern.
The parade is made up of units from the National Guard, the Greek forces stationed in Cyprus, the police and the fire service. The President traditionally gives a speech afterwards, and shops and businesses may close countrywide.
Cyprus was under British rule from 1878 until independence on August 16, 1960, which Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom guaranteed under the London and Zurich Agreements. In the 1950s, Greek Cypriots had begun a four-year fight for union with Greece under EOKA (the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters). Commemorations moved to October 1 in the early 1960s to avoid the hot summer holiday season.
Loud noises and PTSD
Guidance from Mental Health Matters, which delivers Op COURAGE, the NHS Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, lists aircraft among the combat-related sounds that can become tied to traumatic memories in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Gunshots, explosions and sudden impacts are on the same list. According to the guidance, hearing something similar can set off a survival response before conscious thought catches up. That response can bring a racing heart, shortness of breath, panic, intrusive memories, or the urge to flee or take cover.
Mental Health Matters recommends planning ahead when a noisy event is coming, such as finding a quieter space at home. It also suggests headphones or noise-cancelling ear protection, focusing on what can be seen, heard and felt nearby, and slow breathing. It says these strategies work best alongside professional support. For anyone whose quality of life, relationships or ability to leave the house is affected, it calls speaking to a specialist in veteran mental health an important next step.
