Cyprus Airways (CY, Larnaca) has announced its initial three destinations and plans to start operations in late June operating to Irakleion, Rhodes and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion from its Larnaca base.
It has already started selling tickets on its initial two routes to Heraklion (to be served twice weekly) and Rhodes (weekly) and is planning to initially operate all routes with a single 144 seat A319-100 5B-DCW (msn 1129). A second A319 aircraft is due to join the start-up's fleet by March 2018.
Flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion will go on sale later this month.
While Cyprus Airways will be the only carrier serving Rhodes from Larnaca, it will compete with Cobalt (Larnaca) on the Heraklion route and with Aegean Airlines (A3, Athens), Arkia Israeli Airlines (IZ, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion), Cobalt, Israir (6H, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion), and TUS Airways (U8, Larnaca) as well as El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) low-cost division UP by El Al (Tel Aviv Ben Gurion).
The new Cyprus Airways will revive the brand of the former predominantly government-owned carrier a little over two and a half years after the old Cyprus Airways suspended all operations on January 9, 2015. It is owned by a consortium of local investors controlling 60% and S7 Airlines (S7, Novosibirsk) controlling 40% of the shares in the start-up, legally registered as Charlie Airlines Ltd.
