Nicosia International Airport - Incidents and Accidents

Incidents and Accidents

• On 3 March 1956 a Handley Page Hermes (a Hermes IV G-ALDW operated by Skyways Limited) was destroyed on the ground when an explosion (caused by a time-bomb) occurred 20 minutes before the aircraft was due to depart for the United Kingdom with 68 passengers.

• On 27 April 1956 a RAF Douglas Dakota was destroyed on the ground by a bomb thought to have been placed by EOKA fighters.

• On 20 April 1967 a Bristol Britannia crashed on approach to the airport in bad weather, 126 killed.

• On 29 January 1973 an EgyptAir Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft (Reg No SU-AOV) crashed into the Pentadaktylos mountain range on approach to NIC killing all 37 aboard (7 crew and 30 passengers).

• On August 29 1973, a Czechoslovak Airlines Tupolev Tu-104 operating flight CSA531 from Damascus overran the runway upon landing. The aircraft was due to fly onwards to Prague from Nicosia. No fatalities were reported on the flight, and the wreckage on the aircraft is still close to the airport.

• On 20 July 1974, two empty Cyprus Airways airliners (a Hawker-Siddeley HS121 Trident 1E (5B-DAE), and a Trident 2E (5B-DAB)) were destroyed on the ground by the Turkish Air Force during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

• On 22 July 1974, 33 people were killed when 20 ageing Nord Noratlas and 10 C-47 Dakotas, of the 354 Transport Squadron "Pegasus", were assigned to transport a Greek commando force to protect the airport from invading Turks. This operation was named Operation NIKI (victory)