RAF Nicosia
| RAF Nicosia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicosia, Nicosia District in Cyprus | |||||||||
"In Quadrivio Paratus" | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Military | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Middle East Air Force RAF Near East Air Force | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°9′1.9″N 33°16′49.2″E / 35.150528°N 33.280333°E | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1930s | ||||||||
| In use | 1930s - 1966 | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Cold War | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: NIC, ICAO: LCNC | ||||||||
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Royal Air Force Nicosia or more simply RAF Nicosia is a former Royal Air Force station on the island of Cyprus, built in the 1930s. The station served as Headquarters Royal Air Force Cyprus from 8 June to 29 July 1941.
The original principal airport for Cyprus, Nicosia International Airport, was built within the site of the RAF station. Both civil and military aviation on the island operated from the site, although the RAF disestablished the station in 1966.
The 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus led to the cessation of commercial operations from the airport, although the site is still owned by the British Ministry of Defence, but is controlled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and used as a base by United Nations peace-keeping patrol helicopters.