Old Nicosia Airport
A symbol of 1974: the capital’s airport is closed and stands in the buffer zone
The story
The airport grew out of a British military air base and took passenger flights from 1947. After independence in 1960 it passed to the government of the Republic of Cyprus, and in 1968 a new terminal opened here. In the summer of 1974, after the military coup of July 15 and the Turkish air strikes of July 20, there was fighting around the airfield. On July 23 the commander of the UN force declared it a UN protected area. Since August 1974 the airport has been part of the buffer zone, the strip between the ceasefire lines, and it has been closed ever since. Today the protected area hosts meetings of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, and next to the airport is the laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons.
Nicosia Airport closed in 1974 and was left abandoned in the UN buffer zone. The correct answer is 1974, not 1960, 1963 or 1983.
Visiting
There is no public access: this is a closed UN protected area, entry by pass only. All roads around the terminal are closed to outsiders, so an ordinary visitor will most likely not be able to find this place. Do not cross the buffer zone fences.
Photos
Sources
- UNFICYP — The United Nations Protected Area (UNPA) and old Nicosia Airport
- UN Good Offices Mission in Cyprus — Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Leaders Meet in the United Nations Protected Area (20.10.2026)
- Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus — Phase 3, Anthropological Analysis (laboratory in the UN protected area)
- Unofficial exam question bank: question on the year Nicosia Airport closed
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