Airline easyJet has cancelled five return flights between the UK and Cyprus for a third day after the island’s RAF base was hit by a drone. Four flights between Paphos Airport and London, Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester have been cancelled on March 4, while one route between London and Larnaca has also been pulled.

Affected travellers are being offered refunds or the option to rebook flights, while hotel accommodation and meals are being provided to “those who require them”. Flights have been disrupted since Monday on the island, when the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus was hit by a drone, which caused minimal damage and resulted in no casualties.

Hours before on Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer had granted permission for the US to use British military bases for “defensive” action on Iran’s missile strikes, in response to “massive” and ongoing coordinated attacks by the USA and Israel on Saturday.

An easyJet spokesperson told the Express: “Due to the events affecting the RAF base in Akrotiri in Cyprus, as a precaution, we will not be operating five return flights between the UK and Cyprus scheduled today.

“We continue to do all we can to minimise the impact on our customers and have notified them directly in advance with their options for rebooking or a refund, and are providing hotel accommodation and meals for those who require them.

“We advise all customers due to travel to and from Cyprus over the coming days to check our flight tracker for the latest information.

“The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and we continue to closely monitor the security situation in the region.”

British Airways cancelled flights to Cyprus on Monday, but Jet2 told the Express its flights and holidays were “operating as normal”.

The disruption has continued today, with another “possible suspicious object” spotted near the airspace of Larnaca airport, which lies to the east of the RAF base.

Two flights were requested to remain in holding patterns after the sighting, and one captain chose to return to Athens, while a second landed normally after a short time, according to a Government spokesperson, who confirmed that the airspace is open.

The British Foreign Office has issued an alert, but it has not advised Brits to stop travelling to Cyrpus.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer confirmed that Britain will send HMS Dragon to Cyprus, a Type 45 destroyer which is the Royal Navy’s only equipment to shoot down ballistic missiles.

In a post on X yesterday, Sir Keir said: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.

“We’re continuing our defensive operations and I’ve just spoken with the president of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.

“We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies.”

At the RAF base, non-essential personnel have been dispersed, and reports suggest a majority of residents from the nearby Akrotiri village have evacuated.