Greek C-130 lands in Paphos amid security buildup

A C-130 transport aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force has landed in Paphos on Monday night, making it the fifth Greek aircraft to arrive on the island since the start of the week, the Cyprus Mail learned on Tuesday.

According to the flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, the aircraft departed from Chania and was scheduled to land in Paphos at around 9.40pm.

The C-130 is a four-engine military transport aircraft capable of reaching a maximum speed of 621 kilometres per hour.

It is considered one of the most reliable and durable transport aircraft in service worldwide and has been operated by the Hellenic Air Force since 1975.

“The Hellenic C-130s carry out the majority of air transport operations in Greece and are also deployed in humanitarian and firefighting missions,” the force states on its official website.

The aircraft’s arrival follows the landing of four Greek F-16 fighter jets in Cyprus on Monday.

In a post on X, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the jets arrived following the immediate response of the Greek government to strengthen preventive measures, within the framework of close cooperation between Nicosia and Athens.