Cyprus Airways is launching a new route to London Heathrow (LHR) from September as part of a “significant change in business strategy” under the carrier’s new Maltese owner.

The airline will begin flying to the UK capital from Larnaca (LCA) on Sept. 10, operating one return service per day. Flights will be onboard Airbus A319 aircraft.

The planned route comes just weeks after Cyprus Airways, previously known as Charlie Airlines, was acquired by Malta’s SJC Group, with George Mavrocostas installed as CEO.

The carrier intends to operate LCA-LHR year-round, saying that the launch marks a move away from focusing purely on seasonal services.

“Our new vision for Cyprus Airways is connecting global travelers and we are looking forward to… welcoming more Cypriot guests into London and the South East region,” Mavrocostas said.

“Likewise, we expect the strong links that Cyprus has enjoyed over the years with the UK will intensify on the back of this new initiative. Our network to Greece, the Middle East, and Russia will be available to those wishing to travel beyond Cyprus after flying from Heathrow,” he added.

Cyprus Airways currently serves 11 international destinations from Larnaca, flying to Beirut (BEY), Irakleion (HER), Larnaca (LCA), Malta (MLA), Moscow Domodedovo (DME), Prague (PRG), Preveza/Lefkada (PVK), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), Skiathos (JSI), St Petersburg (LED), Tel Aviv (TLV) and Thessaloniki (SKG).

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that five carriers currently operate Larnaca-London flights nonstop. For the week commencing July 19, British Airways has a 63% capacity share of the market, offering 23X-weekly LHR-LCA services using a mix of A320neos, A321neos and Boeing 787-8s.

LCC easyJet serves London Gatwick (LGW)-LCA 3X-weekly and London Luton (LTN)-LCA 1X-weekly. TUI Airways provides four flights per week from LGW and one from London Stansted (STN), while Wizz Air offers 1X-weekly LTN-LCA service.

The Cyprus Airways brand was resurrected in 2017 after Charlie Airlines, a business sharing common ownership with Russian carrier S7 Airlines, won a government tender to use the Cyprus Airways name for a decade. The previous incarnation of the carrier offered regular scheduled LCA-LHR and LCA-STN flights until its demise in January 2015.

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