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Europe’s incredible abandoned ‘ghost airport’ that’s been frozen in time

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Europe’s incredible abandoned ‘ghost airport’ that’s been frozen in time

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.

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)

Nicosia International Airport

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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