Cyprus marks 21 years since Helios air disaster

Nicosia, Cyprus. Transport Minister Evie Tsolaki said the pain caused by the 2005 Helios air disaster has not been forgotten, speaking on Sunday at a memorial service marking the tragedy’s 21st anniversary. The crash killed all 121 people aboard Helios Airways Flight 522.

Collective memory

Tsolaki described August 14, 2005, as one of the darkest days in modern Cypriot history, saying an ordinary journey had turned into an unspeakable tragedy.

She said the pain of those who lost loved ones was not private or forgotten, but formed part of Cyprus’ collective memory.

Aviation safety

The minister said the memory of the tragedy must be connected to the state’s responsibility for safety in air transport.

“In the transport sector, and especially in aviation, safety is not a technical detail, but the first and non-negotiable obligation,” she said.

Tsolaki said every rule, procedure, control mechanism and oversight mechanism exists to protect human life, adding that human life cannot be discounted, omitted or left to complacency.

The 2005 crash

Helios Airways Flight 522 was travelling from Larnaca to Prague via Athens on August 14, 2005, when its cabin began to depressurise. Those aboard, including the captain and crew, suffered generalised hypoxia, rendering the aircraft a “ghost flight”.

With the autopilot engaged, the aircraft circled over Athens for several hours before its engines stopped because of fuel exhaustion. The aeroplane crashed near the village of Grammatiko, killing all 121 people aboard.