Cyprus Airways

Cyprus Airways is an airline based in Nicosia, Cyprus and base on the Larnaca airport.

History

Establishment and operation until the independence of Cyprus in 1960

Cyprus Airways was founded on 24 September 1947 by the Government of Cyprus, British European Airways ( BEA) and local shareholders as a national carrier of the country. Main shareholder was BEA with 44.9 percent, followed by the Cypriot government with 22.45 percent. The operation was started with three 21- seater Douglas Dakota as of the airport of the capital Nicosia. The network consisted of eight routes to Alexandria, Athens, Beirut, Haifa, Istanbul, Cairo, London and Rome. During the following years the fleet was strengthened with three other Dakotas, until you realized that it was not suitable for the advanced to the parade route route to London. So they agreed with BEA on the use of Airspeed AS.57 "Ambassador".

In April 1953 could be 701 celebrate the first regular turboprop connecting the world with the flight London - Rome -Athens -Nicosia the Vickers Viscount, the last stretch was considered a Cyprus Airways flight.

From 1960 until the Turkish invasion in 1974

When Cyprus was declared an independent republic in 1960, the new Cypriot Parliament with a stake of 53.2 percent of the new major shareholder of the airline was. BEA retained 22.7 percent of the shares. At this time began the introduction Cypriot crews, while almost exclusively British were responsible for flight operations previously. With the improvement of the economic situation Cyprus Airways was now capable of two Vickers Viscount 806 for short-haul flights to hire the BEA. The Viscounts for the first time until today preserved logo, a winged mouflon was integrated into the painting of the aircraft.

Cyprus Airways was in these years to expand and ordered, among others, two Hawker Siddeley Trident, with which the major route Nicosia London could be flown without an intermediate stop, and also allowed the opening of new routes to Brussels, Frankfurt, Manchester and Paris.

Effect of the Turkish Invasion

Cyprus Airways had established itself on the market and could, among other things, thanks to the fast growing tourism in Cyprus, report rising passenger numbers. This quickly changed when on July 20, 1974 ( in the middle of tourist season ) invaded the Turks from the north. This event not only had the Cypriot economy and population hit hard, even for the national airline, it had fatal consequences: the Nicosia airport was controlled by the UN, of the situated thereon aircraft was a Trident destroyed (5B -DAB) and a hard damaged (5B - DAE). Cyprus Airways became an airline without basis and without flight proficient device.

The government looked around for a new airport for the airline and found in a disused airfield on the coast near Larnaca a suitable object. Quick was completed on a runway and some buildings, the company leased from British Midland two Vickers Viscount 813 and was able to resume flight operations so in February 1975. More Viscounts were later leased to and formed the backbone of the fleet.

Development since 1975

Even in August 1975 Cyprus Airways leased two Douglas DC -9- 15, nearly a year later, a DC 8-52 about which finally allowed for a direct service to London. In February 1979, the first two of five Boeing 707-123 were integrated held by American Airlines in the fleet.

At the beginning of the 1980s, British Airways sold the majority of its stake in the airline to the Government of Cyprus, which was now in possession of 70.86 percent of shares. It was recognized that Wide Bodys would be for the future business of great importance and ordered two Airbus A310 -203, which were delivered in the spring of 1984. At the same time we also ordered four copies of the new Airbus A320 -231, whose delivery began in 1989 and which form the backbone of the fleet today. After the delivery of the last ordered A320s in 1993, the fleet now consisted of four Airbus A310s and eight A320s.

In June 1991, until the turn of the millennium maintained, new corporate identity was introduced, named the aircraft after ancient cities and kings. In 1994, Cyprus Airways, the duty- free shops in the airports of Larnaca and Paphos. Around the turn of the millennium around the design was changed again, with first new uniforms, but also a more modern aircraft livery was introduced in 2002. At the same time also met with two Airbus A319 -100 fleet, which are mainly used on less busy routes. Far more important, however, was the purchase of two Airbus A330 -200 in the same year which replaced the older Airbus A310. This has Cyprus Airways since the beginning of 2006 on a homogeneous fleet of Airbus aircraft of the new generation, whose similar cockpits allow the pilot to fly all the patterns together.

Financial difficulties since 2011

In February 2011 it was announced that the airline is in financial difficulty, although the airline had received in 2007 a ​​grant by the State. End of 2011, two Airbus A330 -200 were issued due to the cancellation of long- distance connections to the Spanish Air Europa. To replace two Airbus A321 -200 were acquired, they left the fleet but again in April 2013 after about nine months in the service. In order to prevent bankruptcy, the Cypriot government has invested in early 2013 a total of 31.3 million euros and more than 73 million loan to the airline and therefore increased his stake in the airline to around 94%. This prompted the European Commission on 6 March 2013 opening a test method in order to clarify whether this capital is made ​​at normal market conditions.

In April 2013 announced the Cypriot Phileleftheros that the ailing airline is about to be off due to the Euro crisis and its impact. Unless the Cypriot government would provide funding of over 80 million euros available for the next three years. However, the Cyprus may initially make any further aid more to the end of the investigations. Sales declined in 2012 by 18 % compared to the previous year to 176 million euros, representing a loss of 55.8 million euros. Furthermore, it was announced the interest of two investors, the Lebanese Middle East Airlines and the Chinese Beijing Yi Xiang, for a takeover of Cyprus Airways. Because of concerns refused the Lebanese Central Bank, which is the main shareholder of the MEA, the financing of the acquisition. Thereupon, Middle East Airlines withdrew from the takeover negotiations.

With the unions Cyprus Airways agreed 1 July 2013 to terminate 490 employees to cut employee salaries and future fleet to three aircraft to reduce to six. So should remain as a replacement aircraft five Airbus A320s in service and an airplane. To further save costs, the Greek Inslandsflüge were hired. End of July 2013 gave Cyprus Airways the European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquín Almunia, a restructuring plan. In addition to the measures vermeldeten wants to announce, among other things in 2014 another 117 employees, the company's own catering company Cyprus Airways Catering sell and cut their salaries by 10 percent. One starts with a cost of 54 million euros. With these measures, Cyprus Airways expects to be profitable from 2015 again. With a response and an approval of the plan by the Commission expects the airline in October 2013.

Since the Turkish airspace is closed to Cypriot airlines Cyprus Airways Cyprus receives from the state successively 5.6 million euros for the year 2013 by the higher fuel consumption by flying around the Turkish airspace to compensate. These earmarked aid is approved by the European Commission.

In November 2013, the operator of the Larnaca and Paphos airports prompted the seizure of an Airbus A319 -100 Cyprus Airways, as these outstanding bills had not been paid in the amount of five million euros.

Destinations

Cyprus Airways flies from Larnaca to several European cities destinations such as Athens, Paris and Moscow and to Beirut and Tel Aviv. In German-speaking Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Vienna and Zurich are served.

Fleet

As of January 2014, the Cyprus Airways fleet consists of six aircraft with an average age of 11.4 years.

  • 6 Airbus A320 -200

Former subsidiaries

Eurocypria

In March 1992, Cyprus Airways founded the charter airline Eurocypria as a wholly owned subsidiary company that would later deal first with five Airbus A320 - 200, the parent company, with six of his own Boeing 737-800 to the strong tourist traffic to and from Cyprus. Eurocypria was sold to the Cyprus Government in June 2006 as part of a restructuring plan and, consequently, was in competition with its former parent company. However, it was announced in November 2010 that the government would dissolve Eurocypria due to this competition and failed plans for a merger, which was finally implemented.

Hellas Jet

In 2003, also the low cost airline Hellas Jet was founded, with three Airbus had approached from Athens A320 -200 targets in Central Europe. After only two years of operation on 11 May 2005 but was reinstated.

Trivia

  • The logo of Cyprus Airways represents a stylized mouflon
IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code Larnaca International Airport Chief Executive Officer British Midland International McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Douglas DC-8 Duty-free shop Paphos International Airport Eurocypria Airlines Association of European Airlines Adria Airways Air Malta Air Serbia Alitalia Brussels Airlines Cargolux Croatia Airlines Czech Airlines Icelandair Luxair TAROM
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