Twenty-first anniversary of the Helios Airways crash

August 14, 2026, marks the 21st anniversary of the tragic Helios Airways flight HCY522 crash, which occurred on the same date in 2005. The Boeing 737-300, en route from Larnaca to Prague with a stopover in Athens, crashed into a mountainous area near Grammatiko, Greece. All 121 people on board, including 115 passengers—many of whom were children—and six crew members, lost their lives. Among the victims were 103 Cypriots and 12 Greek nationals.

The investigation revealed that a maintenance technician had left the aircraft's pressurization system in manual mode following ground checks in Larnaca. Consequently, the crew suffered from hypoxia, falling into an irreversible coma while the plane remained on autopilot. Although forensic examinations indicated that the passengers were alive at the time of the impact, they were likely incapacitated. Post-crash fires caused extensive damage to the bodies of the victims, complicating recovery efforts at the scene.

In the years since the disaster, memorial services have been held regularly to honor the victims. A recent annual memorial service took place on August 9, 2026, at the Saint George Metropolitan Cathedral in Paralimni, attended by officials including the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Evanthia Tsolaki, who reaffirmed the state's duty to support the grieving families.