{"id":180182,"date":"2023-09-23T10:17:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T10:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/?p=180182"},"modified":"2023-09-23T10:17:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T10:17:39","slug":"inside-crumbling-abandoned-airport-in-europes-last-no-mans-land-with-jet-used-in-final-flight-left-rusting-on-tarmac-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/world-news\/inside-crumbling-abandoned-airport-in-europes-last-no-mans-land-with-jet-used-in-final-flight-left-rusting-on-tarmac-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside crumbling abandoned airport in Europe's last 'no-man's land' with jet used in final flight left rusting on tarmac | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
A ONCE bustling airport has been left to rot in a bullet-ridden no-man's land frozen in time for half-a-century.<\/p>\n
Apocalyptic images show the former state-of-the-art Nicosia Airport littered with dusty seats and crumbling buildings after the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
The bullet-riddled airport used to be the island's main transport hub before conflict in the region turned it into a ghost building.<\/p>\n
Eerie pictures show a decaying Cyprus Airways Trident that was used on the final flight – left rotting on the tarmac while vegetation has taken over the area.<\/p>\n
The once buzzing main terminal is now a rusty shell<\/span> with rows and rows of dusty seats while the baggage claim remains empty.<\/p>\n The airport, located near Nicosia, was built in the 1930s and used mainly by the military. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A new high-tech terminal opened in 1968 that could host up to 800 travellers<\/span>.<\/p>\n Even then, Cyprus was a popular holiday destination, with thousands of visitors flocking to the island – including celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton<\/span> and model Brigitte Bardot.<\/p>\n But the airport was turned into a battlefield<\/span> between Cypriot and Turkish troops.<\/p>\n Thousands of families were forced to flee at a moment's notice after\u00a0Turkish\u00a0forces staged an invasion in 1974, leading to a partition of the island.<\/p>\n <\/picture>BRAND SPEAKS <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/picture>OUT OF STEP <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/picture>ROYAL SNUB <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/picture>END OF AN ERA <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The Nicosia airport was heavily damaged in a bombing, forcing its closure – and the\u00a0UN Security Council declared it a Protected Area.<\/p>\n Cyprus was eventually divided into the north and south and a demilitarised zone was drawn in Nicosia – with the airport being right in the middle.<\/p>\n The last commercial flight departed Nicosia for London in 1977 under the special authorisation of the UN.<\/p>\n Local authorities later opened a new international airport at Larnaca, which has become the island's main airport.<\/p>\n In July, Prince<\/span> Harry\u2019s former regiment gave The Sun a rare tour of the Cypriot buffer zone.<\/p>\n Everything from new cars to dishes in the sink lie abandoned in an eerie 118 mile-stretch of land that divides the north and south of\u00a0Cyprus.<\/p>\n Hotels and private schools featured hundreds of bullet holes – providing a chilling reminder of the hundreds of lives lost in the conflict.<\/p>\nRead more world news<\/span><\/h2>\n
Abandoned Olympic ice rink is just a puddle years after top skater put on show<\/h3>\n
Abandoned football stadium where Man Utd suffered historic upset now demolished<\/h3>\n
Most read in The Sun<\/h2>\n
Brand breaks silence after sex abuse claims & moans about ‘distressing week’<\/h3>\n
Amanda Abbington \u2018threatens to quit\u2019 Strictly after clashes with pro Giovanni<\/h3>\n
Harry rejects offer to spend anniversary of Queen’s death with dad Charles<\/h3>\n
Olly Murs axed from The Voice UK after years on panel in shock show shake-up<\/h3>\n