Nicosia International airport—A moment frozen in time
doublewhirler
Nicosia International airport stands abandoned, frozen in time in no man’s land. The time is August 17, 1974 and the land is the UN buffer zone in Cyprus. Created after Turkey (in response to a Greek-inspired coup attempt) invaded the island, the buffer zone stretches the breadth of Cyprus dividing it into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. The buffer zone is patrolled by UN peacekeepers and caught in its 180 mile strip are villages, farms, cities (including Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe) and its former airport. Today the mod 1960s waiting areas and posters advertising the excitement of travel are festooned with 40 years worth of pigeon droppings. The airport, built in 1968, was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during the invasion and signs of fighting are still visible—barbed wire enclosures, old bunkers and bullet holes. On the runway an abandoned Cyprus Airways’ Trident aircraft sits quietly decaying—it was stripped for parts to a
