Cyprus Turkish Airlines
Turkey · Active
Airline Identity
History
Cyprus Turkish Airlines (Kıbrıs Türk Hava Yolları, KTHY) was established on 4 December 1974 in Nicosia and flew its first scheduled service on 3 February 1975, becoming the flag carrier serving the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from Ercan Airport. It was originally jointly owned by Turkish Airlines and Turkish Cypriot community funds, and in 2005 the Turkish government divested its stake to the private operator Ada Havayolları. Mounting debt of roughly $100 million led management to seek a buyer in 2010, with Atlasjet emerging as the sole bidder for the struggling carrier.
Current Operations
Cyprus Turkish Airlines does not operate today. It announced via its website on 21 June 2010 that it had ceased all operations until further notice, and formally declared bankruptcy on 19 September 2010; a planned 2014 relaunch under the name Karpas Airlines did not materialize into a going concern. Air links for Northern Cyprus are today served by other Turkish-Cypriot carriers, and the IATA code YK has since been reassigned to an unrelated airline, Kyrgyzstan's Avia Traffic Company.
Last verified 2026-09-03· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.