Cobalt Air chairman Gregory Diakou says the new Cypriot airliner will begin flights in June and will ‘surprise everyone’ once it unveils its planned routes which include the US, Africa, India and China.

Speaking to state radio on Wednesday morning, Diakou called on the government to embrace the new airline which he says will offer great investment opportunities for Cyprus and will offer people on the island far away destinations.

“We are in the final stages of launching our first flight and we are in constant contact with the Cyprus Civil Aviation (CCA). The planes will be arriving at the end of the month (March) and we plan to begin our first flight routes between the end of May and the beginning of June.”

“Our first flights will be five destinations in the United Kingdom as well as to destinations in Greece, Israel and hopefully Iran very soon. We have some very ambitious plans for the future including flights to the United States, Africa, India, China and Russia. We will surprise everyone with what we have planned and people in Cyprus will really benefit. Our plans are ambitious and we expect a big, positive impact in our tourism sector.”

Speaking about what the airline will mean for Cyprus, he said, “We are also very proud to be clinching Cyprus’ first biggest investment as a result of the launch of this new airline. We already have big international investors behind us. Our priority, however, first and foremost is safety while at the same time maintaining a high level of professionalism and an excellent standard of service.”

Since the collapse of Cyprus Airways, several groups have requested aviation permits from the CCA but Diakou says Cobalt should be treated like the island’s new national carrier.

“We welcome the competition from other airlines in Cyprus but the difference is that we will be a Cypriot airliner based on the island and we want the government to see as a national carrier. But we are not asking for special treatment, only fair treatment.”

“Our airline will create jobs in Cyprus and will be pumping money into the economy of the island through spending and taxes. The government should be proud of the investment that we are putting on the island.

Meanwhile, another local airliner – which was set to begin short distance operations earlier this year – has been forced to postpone its fights after its operation certificate was revoked because several managers walked out over a dispute with the company.

Tus Airways – a small-scale airline company that has been launched by the former pilots of defunct Cyprus Airways – had previously obtained all the necessary certificates prior to the row within the company.

Tus, which has set up headquarters in Larnaca, was set to start with short flights to neighbouring countries and was to become the first local airliner to be established on the island since the collapse of national carrier Cyprus Airways.

Tus Airways’ fleet consists of two small planes – a Saab 340 and a Saab 2000. Both aircraft are twin-engined high-speed turboprop airliner built by Swedish company Saab. The airline will start with short flights to neighbouring countries like Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.