Flights rerouted because of air strikes

EUROPEAN flights to and from Cyprus are being rerouted because of Nato air strikes on Yugoslavia, with extended flight times and delays likely on some routes, airlines on the island said yesterday.

JAT Yugoslav Airlines announced in Nicosia that all its domestic and international flights had temporarily been suspended “following the ruthless bombing” of their country by Nato.

Airline cancellations were the norm across Europe, as air corridors were closed for use of Nato military planes.

Flights to Belgrade have been cancelled and others rerouted.

Nato had also issued warnings to commercial airlines not to fly over Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.

In Nicosia, both Cyprus Airways (CY) and British Airways (BA)

said some of their routes had been affected.

CY spokesman Tassos Angelis said flights to European countries had been re- routed over Italy.

Moscow, Athens and Rome have not been affected, he said.

Angelis said the flights would be 15 to 20 minutes longer and would involve extra cost to the company in terms of fuel.

“The measures will stay in place as long as the situation continues,” he said.

BA spokesman Peter Louca said their flights from London to destinations including Larnaca, Athens and Tel Aviv were affected.

“A small number of flights… are being rerouted causing minor delays,” he said, adding that delays would run from about half an hour to an hour.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.