LOT flew from Nicosia to Warsaw. Archived ad recalls forgotten route

Did you know that even before the division of Cyprus, you could fly directly from Nicosia to Warsaw? Proof is an archival advertisement for LOT Polish Airlines published in Cyprus in the early 1970s. The advertisement not only shows the flight schedule but also recalls the days when Nicosia Airport was the island's main airport.

The archived ad was recently posted by vintage ad enthusiasts on a Greek-speaking group Διαφημίσεις μιας άλλης εποχής (“Ads from another era”). Many Poles living in Cyprus may be surprised to learn that a direct connection between the capitals of both countries existed over 50 years ago.

Direct flight from Nicosia to Warsaw

The advertisement has a large inscription:ΛΕΥΚΩΣΙΑ – ΒΑΡΣΟΒΙΑ That is Nicosia – Warsaw.

Below is the information: "Απ' ευθείας εκάστην Παρασκευή" which means: "Directly every Friday."

According to the advertisement, the plane departs from Nicosia at 9:50, and arrives in Warsaw at 13:35.

At that time, it was one of the regular routes operated by LOT Polish Airlines, and the advertising also encouraged further travel from Warsaw to the most important cities in Europe.

LOT had its own office in Nicosia

At the bottom of the advertisement you will find the contact details of the LOT Polish Airlines representative office in Cyprus.

The office was located at Leoforos Archbishop Makarios III 38 in central Nicosia. Local telephone numbers are also provided for ticket reservations and information.

This demonstrates that LOT's presence in Cyprus wasn't limited to occasional charter flights. The Polish carrier regularly sold tickets and had a local representative office.

Authentic photo of the LOT plane in Nicosia

An even more interesting confirmation of the presence of the Polish carrier in Cyprus is a preserved photograph taken April 20, 1974 at Nicosia International Airport (in the header).

The photo shows Tupolev Tu-134 with registration SP-LGA belonging to LOT Polish Airlines.

The photo was taken by Paul Seymour and is in the archive AirHistory.net.

This is one of the few surviving photographic materials documenting LOT's operations at Nicosia Airport just before its closure.

The photograph, of course, doesn't mean that this particular aircraft was operating the flight advertised in the ad. However, it is direct evidence that LOT aircraft regularly appeared at the Cypriot airport.

The main airport of Cyprus at that time was Nicosia

Today, most people going to Cyprus land in Larnaca or Paphos.

However, few people remember that until 1974 the main airport of the Republic of Cyprus was Nicosia International Airport.

The modern terminal opened in the late 1960s. It served flights to Europe, the Middle East and many other international destinations.

It was from this airport that you could fly directly to Warsaw.

Everything changed in the summer of 1974.

In July 1974, a coup d'état took place, and a few days later the Turkish invasion of Cyprus began.

Nicosia Airport was at the center of hostilities and was seriously damaged.

After the fighting ended, the airport was taken over by United Nations peacekeeping forces.

Since then, it has remained closed and within the UN buffer zone.

To this day, you can still see the abandoned terminal, runway and abandoned planes, which have become one of the most recognizable symbols of the island's division.

Larnaca took over as the main airport

Following the closure of Nicosia Airport, the Republic of Cyprus had to create a new airport very quickly.

This is how the airport was born in Larnaca, which began operations in 1975 and remains the country's largest airport to this day.

A few years later, Paphos Airport was also opened.

From that moment on, all regular international connections were transferred to Larnaca.

LOT has relaunched the route to Larnaca

The history of LOT's connections with Cyprus did not end with the closure of Nicosia airport.

LOT Polish Airlines operated flights between Warsaw and Larnaca in the following decades. However, the route was suspended and then October 28, 2024 the carrier restarted regular flights after a break of approximately two years.

Currently, the flight from Warsaw to Larnaca takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, which is not much shorter than the trip to Nicosia over half a century ago.

However, the landing location has changed. Instead of the now-defunct Nicosia Airport, flights now arrive at the modern Larnaca Airport.

A unique souvenir from the history of Polish aviation

An archived advertisement recalls the times when Poland and Cyprus were connected by direct flights before the island was divided.

This is not only a curiosity for aviation enthusiasts, but also a fragment of the common history of Poland and Cyprus, which few people remember today.

Thanks to preserved press advertisements and archival photographs, we can see what the beginnings of air connections between Warsaw and Nicosia looked like and recall the airport that never reopened for regular passenger traffic.