Eerie photographs provide a glimpse inside an abandoned airport that has been deserted for almost five decades, with its terminals and aircraft left to decay.
Nicosia International Airport, once a vibrant entry point to Cyprus, now stands silent and uninhabited, serving as a haunting reminder of a destructive conflict that shattered the island. Originating in the 1930s as an RAF base, the site evolved into the primary civilian airport of the island.
After a Turkish invasion in 1974, the airport turned into a battleground, enduring bombings and heavy combat. Despite a ceasefire being negotiated, the location was designated a United Nations Protected Area, with its surroundings now forming part of the island’s buffer zone.
While commercial flights struggled to continue, the airport’s decline was inevitable. In 1977, with the assistance of British Airways engineers, three Cyprus Airways planes stranded on the tarmac were eventually removed. However, the airport never fully recovered and has remained virtually untouched, frozen in a time of conflict.
Within the terminal today, dusty rows of chairs still stand where travelers once awaited their flights, while peeling advertisement boards promise exotic vacations. The only sounds now echoing through the halls are the cooing of pigeons as nature slowly reclaims the once-bustling hub.
On the runway lies the skeletal remains of a Hawker Siddeley Trident, its engine parts stripped and riddled with bullets long ago.
Although passenger flights ceased long ago, the airport has not been completely forgotten. It currently serves as the headquarters for the UN Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP), with helicopters still utilizing parts of the facility.
Access to the site is strictly limited due to safety concerns and decades of neglect, allowing only a few individuals to catch a glimpse of the abandoned airport.
Over the years, there have been intermittent hopes for the airport’s revival. Talks facilitated by the UN in the 1990s and beyond aimed to reopen the airport, but political divisions prevented any agreement from being reached.
Aleem Siddique, a spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, stated, “It is frozen in time. Despite numerous attempts to restore and reopen the airport, no agreement was reached due to the deteriorating conditions of the site.”
Thanks to a digital project by the Cyprus Institute, the public can now virtually tour the airport through the “NIC Platform,” exploring preserved online replicas of offices, duty-free areas, and jetways in intricate detail.
One local resident living near the airport managed to obtain special permission for entry. Describing the experience, he expressed a mix of emotions, reflecting on the eerie, emotional, and sad atmosphere, emphasizing the surreal time freeze that has befallen the once-bustling airport.