Aviation History
Cyprus's original national carrier, Cyprus Airways, was founded in 1947 as a joint venture with British European Airways and became the island's flag carrier through independence in 1960, surviving the disruption of the 1974 Turkish invasion by relocating operations to Larnaca. Decades of losses and an EU ruling that government rescue funding constituted illegal state aid forced the original airline's closure in January 2015; a rebranded Cyprus Airways relaunched under new private ownership in 2017. The August 2005 crash of Helios Airways Flight 522, Cyprus's deadliest aviation disaster, remains a defining and closely studied episode in the island's aviation safety history.
Cyprus Airways was established on 24 September 1947 as a joint venture between the British colonial government, British European Airways, and private interests, commencing DC-3 services in 1948.
Following Cypriot independence, the government of Cyprus became the majority shareholder of Cyprus Airways, and the carrier became the first Middle Eastern airline to operate jets with its de Havilland Comet 4Bs that year.
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974 destroyed or damaged aircraft at Nicosia and forced the airport's closure; Cyprus Airways rebuilt operations from Larnaca by early 1975.
A Helios Airways Boeing 737, crewed for the Cyprus-based low-cost carrier founded in 1998, crashed near Athens on 14 August 2005 after a pressurization failure, killing all 121 aboard in Cyprus's worst aviation accident.
After sustained losses and a European Commission ruling that state rescue funding was illegal aid, Cyprus Airways ceased operations on 9 January 2015 after 67 years.
A newly licensed carrier operating under the acquired Cyprus Airways brand launched scheduled flights from Larnaca in June 2017 under new private ownership.
Cyprus Airways (relaunched, based in Larnaca) · TUS Airways · Eurocypria Airlines (historical, defunct) · Helios Airways (historical, defunct after 2005 crash)
Wikipedia, Cyprus Mail archives, aviation news (Simple Flying, Key.aero)
Aviation Firsts
Nicosia International Airport — Nicosia (1939): Opened in 1939, the oldest-founded airport in Cyprus. Has sat inside the UN Buffer Zone since the 1974 ceasefire; inoperable as a functioning civil airport, now serves as UNFICYP's headquarters; its last commercial flight departed in 1977. · Wikipedia ↗
Larnaca International Airport — Larnaca (1975): Opened 8 February 1975, built hastily in late 1974 after Nicosia's closure following the Turkish invasion of 20 July 1974. The site itself was reportedly used as an airfield in the 1930s and later by British forces, but no exact founding year for that earlier use could be confirmed this session, so it cannot be asserted to predate Nicosia's 1939 date. · LCA ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Oldest-founded Cypriot airport = Nicosia (1939, now defunct/inside the UN Buffer Zone); oldest currently-operating major airport = Larnaca (1975).
Cyprus Airways (1947-2015) (1947): Established in September 1947; ceased operations 9 January 2015 after the European Commission ruled Cyprus-government state aid to the airline illegal and ordered its return, which effectively caused its bankruptcy. Today's 'Cyprus Airways' is legally operated by Charlie Airlines Ltd. (established early 2016), which in July 2016 was selected by the Cypriot government to license the Cyprus Airways trademark for a 10-year term (reported bid approximately EUR 2 million) -- described as having 'won the rights to use' the trademark. No transfer of the original airline's fleet, staff, certificates or route network to Charlie Airlines is documented. This is a brand-licensee relationship, not a genuine legal succession: the oldest Cypriot airline by founding date is the original 1947 Cyprus Airways (now defunct); the oldest currently-operating entity bearing the name is the 2016-founded Charlie Airlines. · CY ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Swissport (tied with Goldair Handling and Servisair) (Switzerland), 2008: On 19 February 2008, Hermes Airports (operator of Larnaca and Paphos) announced the results of a competitive ground-handling tender opening the sector to competition (Hermes had previously run ground handling itself, apart from Cyprus Airways' self-handling). Two consortia won, both with real foreign partners, both contractually starting 15 May 2008: (1) Cyprus Airways + Swissport (Switzerland) + GAP Vassilopoulos; (2) Goldair Handling (Greece) + Servisair UK Ltd (Britain) + CLIN Company. Because both consortia were awarded the same date under the same tender with the same start date, no single company can be called "the sole first" foreign entrant — Swissport, Goldair and Servisair effectively entered simultaneously; Swissport is recorded as the lead claim (as the higher-profile, Cyprus-Airways-anchored venture) with this tie explicitly noted. This corrects the prior wave's "no foreign ground handler found" conclusion. · Cyprus Mail ↗