<strong>Permanently grounded:</strong> A decomposing Cyprus Airways Trident Sun Jet passenger plane stands between the hangars and terminal building of Nicosia International Airport in Cyprus.
Permanently grounded: A decomposing Cyprus Airways Trident Sun Jet passenger plane stands between the hangars and terminal building of Nicosia International Airport in Cyprus.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Laid bare:</strong> According to the UN, the plane's engines were stripped to repair another jet, to fly out from the now deserted airport.
Laid bare: According to the UN, the plane's engines were stripped to repair another jet, to fly out from the now deserted airport.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Long abandoned: </strong>Once bustling and full of travelers, Nicosia International Airport was closed in 1974 and has been lying empty ever since.
Long abandoned: Once bustling and full of travelers, Nicosia International Airport was closed in 1974 and has been lying empty ever since.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Derelict remains:</strong> It was the country's main airport up until the summer of 1974, when Turkish forces invaded and seized the northern third of the country after a coup by Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece.
Derelict remains: It was the country's main airport up until the summer of 1974, when Turkish forces invaded and seized the northern third of the country after a coup by Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Rendered useless: </strong>It's decaying traffic control tower remains intact, after all these years, making for an eerie sight today.
Rendered useless: It's decaying traffic control tower remains intact, after all these years, making for an eerie sight today.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Sitting duck:</strong> Nicosia International Airport became one of the Turkish army's main targets and a series of air raids were launched on the site, eventually forcing it to close permanently.
Sitting duck: Nicosia International Airport became one of the Turkish army's main targets and a series of air raids were launched on the site, eventually forcing it to close permanently.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Neutral area:</strong> The airport was declared part of the buffer zone, also known as the green line, which splits the Turkish Cypriot north from the Greek Cypriot south
Neutral area: The airport was declared part of the buffer zone, also known as the green line, which splits the Turkish Cypriot north from the Greek Cypriot south
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Checked out:</strong> It's been decades since any passengers passed through here, and the disused building is filled with barbed wire and rotting machinery.
Checked out: It's been decades since any passengers passed through here, and the disused building is filled with barbed wire and rotting machinery.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Transport hub: </strong>In the years before the crisis, Nicosia International Airport was a major tourism center, reportedly serving nearly 800,000 passengers by 1973.
Transport hub: In the years before the crisis, Nicosia International Airport was a major tourism center, reportedly serving nearly 800,000 passengers by 1973.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Totally deserted:</strong> Crumbling walls, broken windows and boarded up terminals are all that's left of this one time active airport now.
Totally deserted: Crumbling walls, broken windows and boarded up terminals are all that's left of this one time active airport now.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Cut short: </strong>The airport was officially inaugurated in 1968 with the addition of a modern terminal building with high-tech facilities and many restaurants and shops.
Cut short: The airport was officially inaugurated in 1968 with the addition of a modern terminal building with high-tech facilities and many restaurants and shops.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Tattered remains: </strong>Advertising posters remain on the walls, frozen in time since the airport was last in use.
Tattered remains: Advertising posters remain on the walls, frozen in time since the airport was last in use.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Eternally stuck: </strong>The last commercial flights left the airport under UN Special Authorization in 1977, however this Cyprus Airways Trident Sun Jet passenger plane was one of several aircraft left behind.
Eternally stuck: The last commercial flights left the airport under UN Special Authorization in 1977, however this Cyprus Airways Trident Sun Jet passenger plane was one of several aircraft left behind.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Plane corpse: </strong>The aircraft has been lying dormant for the last 40 years, much like the rest of the site, which is located 8.2 kilometers west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia.
Plane corpse: The aircraft has been lying dormant for the last 40 years, much like the rest of the site, which is located 8.2 kilometers west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Quickly replaced:</strong> A new airport, Larnaca International Airport (LCA), was opened in the Republic of Cyprus in 1975 following the closure of Nicosia, while Paphos International Airport (PFO) followed in 1983.
Quickly replaced: A new airport, Larnaca International Airport (LCA), was opened in the Republic of Cyprus in 1975 following the closure of Nicosia, while Paphos International Airport (PFO) followed in 1983.
Dimitris Sideridis
<strong>Reopening hopes</strong>: While discussions have taken place regarding the possibility of the airport being reopened under UN control as a goodwill measure, this has never come to fruition.
Reopening hopes: While discussions have taken place regarding the possibility of the airport being reopened under UN control as a goodwill measure, this has never come to fruition.
Dimitris Sideridis