All Flights Grounded: 10 Abandoned Airports and Airfields (PHOTOS)

From an airport in the Caribbean destroyed by a volcanic eruption to one abandoned after a military invasion, these now-crumbling, weather-beaten airports and airfields are virtual no-man's lands, reclaimed by Mother Nature. 

(MORE: World's Scariest Airport Runways)

1. Nicosia International Airport, Cyprus

The hangars, runways, terminals and even the gift shops at the now-abandoned Nicosia International Airport in Cyprus remain as they were 40 years ago, eerily frozen in time. Shards of glass and debris litter the airport, which shut down in 1974 when a coup by supporters of union with Greece prompted Turkey to invade and split the island into a breakaway Turkish-speaking north and an internationally recognized Greek-speaking south, according to Fox News. The site is now a United Nations Protected Area but it remains a symbol of conflict and how nature can take over neglected structures. Weather has led to structural deterioration to the terminal building and to the Cyprus Airways Trident Sunjet passenger plane still resting beside it.

2. Ciudad Real Central Airport, Spain

Opened in 2009 at a cost of 1.1 billions euros, the Ciudad Real airport was supposed to be a symbol of modern Spain's affluence. But the 28,000 square-foot airport was shut down after operating for only three years. It was intended to serve both Madrid and the Andalusian coast, each accessible by train in 50 minutes, according to the Daily Mail. Passenger traffic never took off, however, and CR Aeropuertos, the operator of the terminal, went into bankruptcy in June 2012 with debts of around 300 million euros, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The airport, also called Don Quixote airport, now sits abandoned. The runways have to be continually painted with yellow crosses, so pilots will know they cannot land there, said the Daily Mail.

3. Hellinikon Airport (Athens International Airport), Greece

Built in 1938, Hellinikon airport was once Greece's flagship terminal and hub for international travel, but has been abandoned since its closure in 2001, according to CNN. After its closure, the northwest section of the airport was redeveloped, converting runways into a sports park that housed the 2004 Summer Olympics venues for canoe/kayak slalom, field hockey, baseball, and softball. Most of the airport grounds, however, have been abandoned, according to the Greek Reporter.

In February 2014, Greece announced plans to select a developer to rebuild Hellinikon, BusinessWeek reported. The government expects the development of Hellenikon, located on Athens' southern coast, to create thousands of jobs in the country, where unemployment has hit a record of 28 percent.

4. Floyd Bennett Field, New York

Built between 1928 and 1931, Floyd Bennett Field was New York City's first municipal airport, designed to divert the increasing volume of air traffic to New York City away from Newark Airport where the vast majority of New York bound flights terminated, according to the National Park Service.

Although it's now a federal park, much of what remains of Floyd Bennett Field are left to the elements, crumbling and dilapidated. In 2010, the New York Daily News reported that half of the park's eight historic hangars are covered in weeds and trash and closed to the public. Just one has been restored as a small museum, staffed entirely by volunteers and is only open three days a week. 

5. W.H. Bramble Airport, Montserrat

Also known as Blackbourne Airport, W.H. Bramble Airport was a small international airport on the east coast of the island of Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The airport was destroyed when Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted and covered the island with ash in 1997, according to the Associated Press. The eruption killed 19 people and buried the capital, Plymouth.

6. Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, Texas

Robert Mueller Municipal Airport  served the Austin, Texas area until it was replaced by the Austin Bergstrom International Airport and later closed in 1999. The 711-acre area that once housed the airport sat dormant for more than half a decade until the city finally approved a development plan for a mixed-use community on the site of the airport.

In 2010, Statesman.com reported that the airport's control tower, one of the last pieces still standing from the airport, will be restored to its original design.

7. Galeville Military Airport (Shawangunk Grasslands Natural Wildlife Refuge), New York

Located in Ulster County, New York, the Galeville Military Airport was built as an airbase to train pilots as a result of World War II. Today, the site is home to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, which provides grasslands shelter to a number of declining migratory bird species including the short-eared owl, the upland piper and the grasshopper sparrow.

In 2010, the Wallkill Valley Times reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin work on an improvement project at the refuge to cover the aging concrete airstrip. The project was to focus on covering two main runways, approximately 400,000 square feet in all, with soil from the site, leaving portions of the runway uncovered for access to the public. 

8. Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California

Formerly a United States Marine Corps Air Station, the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, Calif. may look familiar to some — it is currently used as filming locations for television shows and movies. 

Initially, El Toro was constructed to provide facilities for two Marine air groups, according to the California State Military Museum. Symmetrical units were constructed for each group that consisted of an administration building, training building, parachute loft, a 19,500-sq.-ft. hangar, and a messing facility. It was officially closed in 1999.

9. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong

It was considered one of the scariest airport runways for landings, and in 1998, Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport was finally closed and replaced by the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west.

According to CNN, Kai Tak sat in the middle of Kowloon City, with a runway protruding into the sea, making a landing at the airport hair-raising event even for experienced pilots. Since its closure, it has sat idle with overgrown landing strips and dilapidated hangars, In 2011, Bloomberg reported that the government had plans to build housing and a stadium cover on the site, an area almost the size of New York’s Central Park.  In June 2013, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal was opened on the tip of the former runway, two public housing estates opened on the northeast area of the site in 2013.

10. Castellón–Costa Azahar Airport, Spain

It's called Spain's "ghost airport," an airport that has never seen a plane. Castellon-Costa Azahar airport opened in March 2011 at a cost of 150 million euros, however the east coast Spanish airport has yet to handle a single flight, according to Airport World. One of the notable features of the airport is a $375,000, 79-foot-tall statue of Carlos Fabra, the formerly powerful local politician who was the driving force behind the project. Fabra has been under judicial investigation in connection with several cases of corruption and tax evasion, according to the New York Times.

Now virtually deserted, the airport has became a symbol of Spain's struggles in the economic downturn.