Kibris Türk Hava Yollari
Encyclopedia
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
sector of Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. Cyprus Turkish Airlines was also the main airline that flew passengers to the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus until its collapse in June 2010.
Scheduled flights were operated from Turkey-only recognised Ercan Airport, Northern Cyprus to several cities in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Western / Northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
KTHY had its main base at Ercan (Tymbou) Airport situated near Nicosia.
The airline was de jure registered as a Turkish company in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Day-to-day operations were run from Ercan. All services to Europe had to make a stop at a city in mainland Turkey.
History
Cyprus Turkish Airlines was established on 4 December 1974 in NicosiaNicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
with shares equally divided between THY and the Cash Development of the Consolidated Fund of the Assembly of the Turkish Cypriot Community (Konsolide Fonu Inkisaf Sandigi). The first scheduled flight was operated on the 3 February 1975.
In 2005 the Turkish government sold its shareholding to Ada Havayollari.
To avoid bankruptcy due to a $100 million debt, the management had decided to sell the company in June 2010. After the end of the bidding period, the Turkish carrier Atlasjet
Atlasjet
Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş. is an airline based in Florya, Bakırköy district, Istanbul, Turkey, operating domestic and international scheduled passenger services and regular charter flights to Europe, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, usually out of either Atatürk International Airport,...
was the only bidder.
On 21 June 2010, the airline announced via their website that they had ceased all operations until further notice and eight days later, on 29 June 2010 it was announced that the airline had gone out of business.
Timeline
| Year | Events |
|---|---|
| 1975 | The first scheduled flight was operated on 3 February 1975 |
| 1976 | Aircraft of types included DC-9, Boeing 727-200 and Boeing 707(720) Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on... first on a lease basis |
| 1977 | KTHY is registered as a Turkish company in Istanbul, Turkey |
| 1981 | Launch of scheduled flights to London (UK) |
| 1990 | 2 Boeing 727-200 purchased |
| 1991 | Ground operations staff and cockpit / cabin crew employed |
| 1993 | Third Boeing 727-200 purchased |
| 1995 | First Airbus A310-200 purchased |
| 1996 | Fourth Boeing 727-200 purchased |
| 1999 | Second Airbus A310-200 purchased |
| 2000 | 2 Boeing 737-800's were long term leased |
| 2001 | Third Boeing 737-800 is long termed leased |
| 2002 | All 4 Boeing 727-200's, upon completion of technical flight hours, grounded and sold |
| 2004 | 3 Airbus A321-200's were long terms leased. |
| 2004 | Caretta in-flight magazine re-introduced |
| 2006 | ISO 9001-2000 Quality Control System certificate obtained in April |
| 2006 | DCS DCS -Education:*Dade Christian School A private school in Miami-Dade county*Dayton City School, a school in Dayton Tennessee*Dean Close School*Dearborn Christian School A private school in Dearborn, Michigan*Desert Christian Schools, in Tucson, Arizona... system introduced and used for the first time at Ercan International Airport |
| 2006 | Ground services in airports of Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... passed on to "HAVAŞ Havas Havas is the second largest advertising group in France and is a "Global advertising and communications services group" and the sixth-largest global advertising and communications group worldwide, operating on the communications consulting market through three main operational divisions:*Euro RSCG... " in December |
| 2007 | "Cyprus Airport Services" were formed after KTHY's partnership with "HAVAŞ" |
| 2007 | Scheduled flights to Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... (UK) commenced on 21 May |
| 2008 | Fourth Boeing 737-800 purchased, to be delivered in February 2009 |
| 2008 | First the time in the history of KTHY, employment of male cabin staff |
| 2008 | Protocol signed with DETUR for flights to Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... and Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
| 2009 | First flight to Scandinavia Scandinavia Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,... scheduled for 7 February 2009 to Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
| 2009 | Charter flights planned to operate to Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... , Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of... and Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
| 2009 | Delivery of a Airbus A320-200 |
| 2009 | Fourth Boeing 737-800 is delivered |
| 2010 | Operations are ceased on 21 June |
| 2010 | Declared Bankruptcy on 19th September |
Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-232 | 1 | 180 | Operated by Turkuaz Airlines Turkuaz Airlines Turkuaz Airlines was a charter airline based in Ankara, Turkey. It declared bankruptcy in 2010.-Operations:Turkuaz Airlines operated an extensive programme of charter flights on behalf of various tour operators. They also supplied aircraft for lease to other airlines.Their international... |
| Airbus A321-211 | 2 | 209 | 1 operated by AtlasJet Atlasjet Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş. is an airline based in Florya, Bakırköy district, Istanbul, Turkey, operating domestic and international scheduled passenger services and regular charter flights to Europe, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, usually out of either Atatürk International Airport,... |
| Boeing 737-800 | 4 | 177 | |
| Total | 7 |
- Most of the KTHY fleet spent the night at Ercan, however sometimes some of the planes spent the night at a Turkish Airport.
| List of the registrations and names | |
|---|---|
| Airbus A321-211 |
|
| Boeing 737-800 |
|
The Cyprus Observer
Cyprus Observer
The Cyprus Observer is a Turkish-Cypriot owned English-language weekly newspaper which includes news from both major communities.Next to Cyprus Today, it is the most widely read English language weekly newspaper in North Cyprus...
revealed that KTHY (Cyprus Turkish Airlines) planned to extend their fleet to 12 aircraft which would have been in service by 2012 and all would have worn the airlines updated livery.
The Cyprus Turkish Airlines average fleet age was 6.5 years (at 14 March 2010).
Former Fleet
- 4 Boeing 727-200
- 1 Boeing 737-200
- 1 Airbus A300B4Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
(leased for 1 month in summer 1996 from Holiday Air) - 1 Airbus A310-200Airbus A310The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
- 1 Airbus A310-300Airbus A310The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
- 1 Airbus A320-231
- 2 Airbus A321-211
- 1 McDonnell Douglas MD-81
- 1 McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30McDonnell Douglas MD-90The McDonnell Douglas MD-90 is a twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet aircraft. The MD-90 was developed from the MD-80 series. Differences from the MD-80 include more fuel efficient International Aero Engines V2500 engines and a longer fuselage...
(third aircraft was never taken up by the airline)
Travel Classes
KTHY Only offered 2 classes:- Economy.
This class was offered on all of the new aircraft. Full meal or snack service was provided in Economy Class free of charge. However in-flight entertainment programmes were not offered.
- Economy Plus (Business class).
This class had been newly introduced by KTHY (Cyprus Turkish Airlines) after years of cancelling their Business and First class services caused by the grounding of Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
and Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
aircraft. This class service would go active once the 2 new aircraft had been delivered to KTHY. On 1 June, KTHY got their new aircraft and still in waiting for the second from Airbus. However having KTHY have an Airbus for sale will mean they are one Airbus down. According to KTHY, "Economy Plus" will offer improved seating and in-flight entertainment would be available.
Cabin Crew
Since the formation of KTHY (Cyprus Turkish Airlines), all flight attendants had been female. It was announced on the website by KTHY that, from the beginning of July 2008 at the start of the summer schedule season, male flight attendants would join as cabin crew members.Express Check In
The airline introduced an Express Check-in in early 2008 at the KTHY base airport of Ercan (Northern Cyprus). Passengers with only hand baggage could make use of this service. There were separate express check-in counters for passengers with only hand baggage and those without any baggage.Frequent Flyer Programme
The airline had a "Special Passenger Programme for Frequent Flyers..." for those who flew with KTHY frequently. The benefits of this programme were a priority seat reservations, no waiting at check-in, extra baggage allowance and the ability to gain points towards free travel.Caretta Magazine
The in-flight magazine was produced once a month for KTHY, and was normally placed in the seat pocket. Caretta normally gave information about the culture of Northern Cyprus and the places you could visit. Also featured was information about upcoming events in Northern Cyprus etc. The magazine was available on their website.Incidents and Accidents
- On 30 March 1998, Mehmet Ertürk hijaked a KTHY plane. He was carrying a lighter in the form of a hand granade. The plane was on its way from Ercan to AnkaraEsenboga International AirportEsenboğa International Airport , is an airport located northeast of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It has been operating since 1955. The name of the airport comes from the village of Esenboğa , which literally means "flying bull"....
, the plane landed safely in AnkaraAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and the hijacker was arrested.
Industrial Action
- The staff of CTA staged a 6 hour wildcat strike on 7 April 2010 starting at 6am, and grounding all planes. Travellers to and from the TRNC were severely inconvenience and distressed. Communication from the airline to travellers about the delays was poor, and the strike action is expected to seriously dent the airlines already beleaguered reputation.