Cyprus plans upgrades of crucial air and naval bases through US and EU-supported financing to strengthen its function as a key humanitarian hub for evacuations from the Middle East, officials disclosed.
Cyprus is enhancing two strategic military facilities with support from US funds to solidify its position as a humanitarian refuge for evacuees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East, according to official statements.
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The Andreas Papandreou Air Base, situated in Paphos, will be expanded to incorporate a new parking apron designed to hold dozens of heavy-lift military transport aircraft, facilitating quicker refuelling and maintenance during wide-scale humanitarian missions.
The Evangelos Florakis naval base at Mari, located 229 kilometres from Lebanon’s shores, will be equipped with a new heliport funded by the US European Command. This facility will handle large Chinook transport helicopters used to evacuate individuals from conflict-affected zones.
The US has allocated €500,000 to develop a plan estimating the overall expenses for the air base expansion, stated Lt Col Paris Samoutis, a spokesperson for the Cyprus National Guard, to the Associated Press. Precise financial details for both initiatives remain undisclosed as cost analyses are ongoing.
According to Cyprus Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, construction is slated to begin in 2027. The air base improvements are projected to cost approximately €14 million, whereas the naval base upgrade could surpass €200 million, with Cyprus pursuing additional funding from the EU for this project.
Cyprus has positioned itself strategically as the EU member state nearest to crisis regions in the Middle East, serving as a transit hub for humanitarian evacuations and aid distributions.
During the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the island facilitated evacuation for roughly 30,000 people from Lebanon. In April 2023, it acted as a transit center for evacuations of third-country nationals from Sudan. The following year, Cyprus managed the Amalthea maritime corridor, transporting thousands of tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, initially directly and subsequently via Israel’s Ashdod port.
In June 2025, amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, Cyprus served again as a transit point for evacuees from Israel and facilitated the return of Israelis abroad.
In 2024, the US deployed a Marine unit equipped with V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to Paphos Air Base to support potential evacuations from Lebanon.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has emphasized that the country’s military facilities will remain dedicated solely to humanitarian efforts and will not be employed for offensive military operations.
Bilateral defense cooperation between Cyprus and the US has intensified in recent years. For instance, in January 2025, specialists from the 435th Contingency Response Group, stationed at Germany’s Ramstein base, conducted a review of infrastructure at Andreas Papandreou Air Base.
«The incidents in Sudan, Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza over 2023 and 2024 have underscored the critical importance of the Republic of Cyprus as a security ally in the eastern Mediterranean,» stated US Army Col Kenneth Evans, senior defence attaché at the US Embassy in Nicosia, in early 2025.
The planned upgrades form part of a wider initiative to increase both bases’ ability to manage extensive humanitarian missions.
Additionally, Cyprus has applied for financing from the EU’s SAFE programme, which provides €1.18 billion aimed at enhancing defence readiness and infrastructure across EU nations, with repayment scheduled over 45 years.