Tymbou, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot police on Thursday announced a ban on the use of personal drones until further notice in the region surrounding Ercan (Tymbou) airport, following the deployment of Hisar-A surface-to-air missiles there on Wednesday.
Drone ban around Ercan (Tymbou) airport
Police said the use of personal drones is banned in the villages of Louroujina, Tymbou, Aphania, Palaikythro, Assia, Arsos, Melousia, Mora and Ayia Kebir.
The announcement followed a decision by the Republic of Cyprus last week to ban personal drones across the island and its territorial waters, citing “the current security conditions”, after an Iranian-made drone hit the island last week.
Turkish military deployments
Hisar-A surface-to-air missiles were deployed by the Turkish military to Cyprus on Wednesday. The missiles use infrared homing to lock onto their targets, tracking them using the light they emit.
The missile system joins six Turkish F-16 fighter jets stationed at the airport since Monday. Turkish newspaper Sabah reported that Bayraktar Akinci and Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat drones are also stationed in Cyprus.
The drones are likely located at the Gecitkale (Lefkoniko) aerodrome, which was formally handed over to Turkey’s armed forces in January 2024, having been used for military purposes since 2019.
Regional deployments and Greece-Turkey contacts
Turkey is one of multiple countries to have deployed military assets to Cyprus after a drone strike on the island’s British Akrotiri air force base last week. Greece was the first, deploying four F-16s to Paphos last Monday evening.
Following the arrival of the Greek F-16s, Turkey lodged no protest. Turkey’s defence ministry spokesman rear admiral Zeki Akturk said a delegation from the Greek air force would visit Turkey this week “within the framework of bilateral relations and regional developments”.
On Thursday, Akturk confirmed the delegation spent three days this week at the headquarters of Turkey’s air force, saying the visit took place “within the framework of confidence-building measures”.
How will the new drone restrictions affect residents in the villages around Ercan (Tymbou) airport?