Cyprus marks 21 years on Friday since Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into the hills near Grammatiko, Greece, killing all 121 people on board, including 22 children and six crew members.

On 14 August 2005, the aircraft departed from Larnaca airport, bound for Prague with an intermediate stop in Athens. When the aircraft entered the airspace of Athens at 10.15am, there was no contact with the control tower.  

At 11.05am, two F-16 fighter jets took off from Nea Anchialos, making contact with the aircraft at 11.18am. They found the co-pilot unconscious and the captain not in his seat, with the oxygen supply system and masks activated.

According to subsequent investigations, the aircraft was flying on autopilot. All passengers were reported to be unconscious except for flight attendant Andreas Prodromos who was trying to unsuccessfully take control of the aircraft.

The aircraft eventually crashed in the mountainous area of Grammatiko at 12.05pm, killing all 103 Cypriots and 12 Greeks on board.

In February 2013, the Nicosia criminal court acquitted all defendants of charges in the case, including Helios executive chairman Andreas Drakos, company CEO Dimitris Pantazis, director of flights Giorgos Kikkidis, as well as the airline’s Bulgarian chief pilot Yanko Stoimenov.

The acquittal came after the suspension of the criminal prosecution ordered by the attorney-general’s office against all the accused and the airline.

The Athens court of appeal had earlier upheld the conviction handed down at first instance by the three-member misdemeanour court in a ruling dated February 2013.

Their original sentence of 122 years imprisonment each was first commuted to ten years and then to a fine. After paying approximately €73,000 each, they were released.

Under the principle that no one may be tried twice for the same offence, the three were expected to be dropped from the Cypriot indictment.

The attorney-general ruled that the prosecution of all the defendants should be suspended, citing insurmountable difficulties in advancing the case.

In the wake of the tragedy Helios stopped operating.