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The airport was once the country's main transport hub and welcomed millions of holidaymakers.
By Oli Smith, News Reporter
08:00, Sat, Jul 27, 2024
Nicosia International Airport was once Cyprus' main airport, welcoming millions of holidaymakers to the island paradise.
However, the last commercial plane left its busy runaways in 1977 following the chaotic Turkish invasion three years earlier.
Now, the international airport in the Cypriot capital stands abandoned and disused, resembling a ghost town on the Mediterranean island.
The airport has been frozen in time, with this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus conflict of 1974 which ground flights to a halt.
The Nicosia International Airport was first constructed in the 1930s and was used was the country's main Royal Air Force station until its eventual closure. It was a crucial airport during Britain's RAF campaign in World War Two.
It later became a holiday destination, with millions arriving on the island via the airport.
(Image: Getty)
A Greek junta-sponsored coup on July 15 took over Cyprus. This coup led Turkey to invade the island five days later, amid growing violence against Turkish Cypriots by the majority Greek population.
The airport itself was at the heart of the war and a main site of military battles, with the Turkish Air Force repeatedly targetting the airport's runway.
(Image: GETTY)
The International Airport became a key target during the Turkish invasion, given its transport links and its proximity - five kilometres - from the Cypriot Presidential Palace.
A bombing on July 22 destroyed parts of the runway before Turkish forces retreated a day later.
(Image: GETTY)
After the 1974 invasion, Greek Cypriots quickly created a new airport in the southern coastal town of Larnaca, about 50 km (31 miles) away. It has remained the primary international airport ever since, while the airport in Nicosia stands as a symbol of Turkey's invasion.
The Nicosia International Airport sits in no-man's land, in a 180km buffer zone dividing the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-occupied north.
(Image: Getty)
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The airport site is now mainly used as the headquarters of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
There are UN helicopters based at the site, which also houses recreational facilities for UN personnel.
Meanwhile, photographs show dust and dirt piling up in the waiting lounges.
(Image: Getty)
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