Prior to its liquidation in 2015, Cyprus Airways operated from a base at Larnaca International Airport and had its headquarters in Nicosia, Cyprus. Previously, it was Cyprus' flag carrier airline and was majority owned by the Cypriot government, although in the past it had been under the control by British Airways. The airline was founded in 1947 and began its operations the following year, in 1948. Before the airline was shut down, Cyprus Airways flights served 14 destinations, covering the Middle East and Europe. In addition to the airline's hub at Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus Airways flights were available to Thessaloniki, Sofia, Munich, London Stansted, Heraklion, Beirut, Amsterdam, Athens, Frankfurt, Moscow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Zurich and Tel Aviv.
In the year before the airline ceased to operate, it had codeshare agreements with Aeroflot, Bulgaria Air, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, TAROM, Gulf Air, Alitalia, Etihad Airways, Air France and Middle East Airlines. Cyprus Airways flights were operated using a fleet of 7 aircraft comprising a mixture of Airbus A320-231s and A320-232s. Beginning in 2009, the airline was observed to be having financial difficulties which eventually lead to its closure.