Cyprus marks 21st anniversary of the Helios Airways tragedy

On August 14, 2005, Helios Airways flight HCY522, en route from Larnaca to Prague via Athens, crashed in Grammatiko, Greece. All 121 people on board, including 115 passengers—among them 22 children—and six crew members, lost their lives. The investigation revealed that the Boeing 737-300 suffered a loss of cabin pressure, leading to hypoxia which rendered the occupants unconscious while the plane continued on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.

The accident followed reports of technical issues earlier that morning, specifically concerning a door seal and unusual noises. During a ground check in Larnaca, the compression system was switched from automatic to manual mode and reportedly remained there. In the final moments of the flight, two Greek F-16 fighter jets intercepted the aircraft, observing the pilot's seat vacant and the co-pilot unconscious. Flight attendant Andreas Prodromos, the only person seen conscious, attempted to gain control of the aircraft using a portable oxygen tank but failed to prevent the crash.

While official reports cited systemic failures in corporate safety culture and inadequate oversight by the Civil Aviation Department, a 2013 Nicosia criminal court decision acquitted all defendants. Today, families continue to mourn, citing a lack of true accountability for the institutional lapses that preceded the disaster.