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Nicosia Airport, closed since 1974 in the Cypriot buffer zone, may gain a museum inside an abandoned Cyprus Airways plane, in a bicommunal project awaiting approval from the UN and UNFICYP
The Nicosia airport, unused since July 1974 in the Cypriot buffer zone, is close to gaining a new purpose: becoming a museum inside the last Cyprus Airways plane that landed there. The initiative brings together Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots around the preservation of the island’s memory.
Project aims to transform abandonment into preserved memory
The plan is to restore the historic aircraft that has remained at the airport since the beginning of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974.
The plane is stationed in the same space that once served as one of the country’s main air links to the world.
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More than half a century later, the project seeks to transform this symbol of abandonment into a living museum, with both physical and digital presence.
The proposal is to preserve documents, stories, and records related to the former operation of the airport and Cyprus Airways.
Bicommunal group entered the site after decades closed
The initiative is led by Alexis Sophocleous and brings together Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Three years ago, the group entered the internal facilities and former operational offices of Nicosia airport.
They were the first people to set foot on the site since 1974. During the entry, hundreds of historical pages were recovered, including documents, flight plans, and Cyprus Airways files that had remained held since the day of the invasion.
Museum awaits approval from the UN and UNFICYP
The supporters of the initiative have secured backing from embassies and international organizations focused on the protection of cultural heritage in Cyprus. The group is now awaiting authorization from the UN and the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, UNFICYP.
The intention is to install the museum inside the abandoned aircraft. The project also aims to create a meeting space for students, researchers, and citizens from different parts of the island, under the supervision of UNFICYP.
Symbol of peace in the Cypriot buffer zone
The proposal presented by the organizers goes beyond the material restoration of the plane. The goal is to connect past and future, using the old airport as a space of memory, respect, and solidarity.
For supporters on both sides of the buffer zone, the museum can transform a location marked by interruption into a common point of approach between communities separated for decades.
This article was prepared based on information from the provided source material, with data, numbers, and statements preserved as per the consulted material.
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