Europe is full of bustling airports, carrying passengers in their billions to their various destinations. Figures for last year show that just over 2.5 billion people took to the skies above the continent, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
Some of Europe’s busiest airports include London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Charles de Gaul in Paris. But there is one international airport that has not seen any passengers in the very long while, having stood empty and closed to business for 51 years.
Time has stood still at Nicosia International Airport since 1974, following an unsuccessful Greek-inspired coup attempt.
The coup was organised by the military then ruling Greece, and led to an invasion by Turkish troops in response.
Ever since, the island has been partitioned between Greek Cypriots living in the southern part and Turkish Cypriots in the north.
The two communities are separated by a UN-controlled ceasefire line splitting the island east to west.
Nicosia’s former international airport now lies inside the so-called United Nations protected area, off-limits to locals and foreigners alike.
Photos reveal the haunting remains of this once thriving transport hub, providing a window back in time.
A reception hall is a time capsule of trends of the era – peeling advertising boards promote shoes and holidays promising to take travellers to “the ends of the earth”.
Upstairs, a departure lounge lies empty, with rows of seats coated in dust and pigeon droppings.
“It is actually frozen in time,” Aleem Siddique, spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, UNFICYP, told Reuters.
“Although there were several attempts over the years by the sides to reach an agreement, to see the airport being re-opened, restored, rehabilitated, the sides were unable to reach an agreement so gradually the condition of the airport had deteriorated.”
Today, Cyprus’ main airport is located in the southern coastal town of Larnaca, about 50 km (31 miles) away.
Situated in the Greek part of the island, it serves as the primary point of entry to Cyprus, where the majority of international planes from around the world arrive.