By Aimee Braniff Cree
HARROWING IMAGES reveal the eerie remains of Nicosia International Airport, where planes have been left to rot since the site was abandoned in 1974.
The once-bustling transport hub, located in the Lakatamia suburb west of Nicosia, Cyprus, now stands as a haunting relic frozen in time.
Images show the derelict terminal, decaying runways, and aircraft that have been left untouched for decades, creating an eerie time capsule of the island’s turbulent past.
Originally built in the 1920s as an RAF base, Nicosia International Airport played a crucial role in World War II, serving as a key stopover for military and civilian flights. By the 1950s and 1960s, it had become a major gateway for tourists, even attracting Hollywood celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor.
However, in 1974, conflict between Greek and Turkish forces led to its destruction and subsequent abandonment. The airport was officially closed to commercial flights following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, leaving it to deteriorate ever since.
In 1977 the last commercial airline flights left Nicosia Airport under UN Special Authorisation, when British Airways engineers retrieved three stranded Cyprus Airways aircraft and flew them to London.
Today, the airport lies within a United Nations Protected Area (UNPA) and remains largely off-limits to the public. Despite this, it has become a coveted location for urban explorers fascinated by its decayed grandeur and historical significance.
Ben (31) from Cambridge, England, an urban explorer known online as ‘Places Forgotten,’ ventured to the airport alone to document its haunting remains.
“I wanted to explore this for about three years,” said Ben, 31, from Cambridge.
“I decided to go and see it because, obviously, it’s a very interesting historical site.
“I’d seen pictures of it, and I wanted to see it in person.”
Ben described the site as a chilling time capsule, largely untouched since the 1970s.
“The most amazing thing about it was it’s obviously been untouched since 1974. I’ve never explored an abandoned airport before, and the fact that it still had planes there was crazy.
“It was like a real-life time capsule. Hardly anybody ever gets to see it, and that’s just amazing.”
The haunting images serve as a stark reminder of Cyprus’s divided history, with the airport standing as a ghostly monument to a conflict that reshaped the island.
Despite its eerie silence, Nicosia International Airport remains a powerful symbol of the past, its derelict runways whispering stories of the thousands of travellers who once passed through its gates.
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