Turkish F-16 Drills Surge Over Cyprus Airspace
Turkish F-16 fighter jets have sharply increased flights over Cyprus in recent months, with Turkey deploying six aircraft to northern Cyprus after Greece stationed four F-16s in Paphos.
According to James Morphakis writing in Cyprus Mail, the jets departed from Tymbou airport — located within the Turkish Pseudostate in Northern Cyprus — before conducting maneuvers toward the Pentadaktylos mountain range and returning to base.
A defence ministry source confirmed to the outlet that Turkish F-16 sorties originating from Tymbou have become notably more frequent in recent months, marking an escalation in Ankara’s military posture over the divided island.
Residents in the Nicosia suburbs of Aglandjia and Pallouriotissa made direct contact with reporters after witnessing and hearing the fighter jets above the capital on Tuesday. Additional reports emerged from Larnaca, though ministry officials stated they could not verify Turkish F-16 operations over that coastal city.
The ministry has independently documented a surge in Turkish fighter activity within the Nicosia Flight Information Region over recent days, underscoring the pattern of increased aerial operations.
Turkey deployed approximately six F-16 fighter aircraft to the northern occupied zone on March 9, accompanied by air defence systems. The deployment came one week after Greece stationed four F-16s at Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos on March 2, in what Ankara characterized as a direct response to the Greek military presence.
The escalation highlights ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where both NATO allies maintain competing security interests and continue to contest airspace and territorial claims around Cyprus.
With information from Cyprus Mail
