Following the collapse of Cyprus Airways (1947) (Larnaca) in January this year, two more start-ups have emerged to compete with Cobalt (Larnaca), which itself is in the process of undergoing certification.

Cypriot Minister of Communications, Marios Demetriou, told the Cyprus Mail last week that TUS Airways (U8, Larnaca) and Orion Airways (Larnaca) had also begun their respective quests for an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) meeting with the island's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

Tus Airways reportedly plans to operate scheduled passenger flights between Larnaca and destinations in Greece and the Middle East using a fleet of Saab (Sweden) turboprops. With its delivery imminent, a Swedish Saab 340B SE-F67 (cn 167) has already been spotted in Örebro, Sweden sporting the start-up's colours.

For its part, Orion Airways plans to serve various European destinations using a pair of B737s initially. Medium-term plans call for a fleet of four such aircraft.