Port Nelson Airstrip

Replacement and Redundancy. The Port Nelson Airstrip was a rudimentary, unpaved strip with significant operational limitations. It was officially closed and replaced by the newly constructed Rum Cay Airport (ICAO: MYRP), located approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northwest. The new airport offered a longer, paved runway, modern facilities, and improved safety standards, making the old airstrip obsolete.

The site is abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery shows the faint outline of the former runway, but it is heavily overgrown with vegetation and is completely unusable for any aviation purposes. There are no buildings or infrastructure remaining. The land has effectively returned to nature and has no formal current use.

For many years, the Port Nelson Airstrip was the primary aviation gateway to Rum Cay. It served as a vital lifeline for the small island community, handling general aviation aircraft, small charter flights, and essential services. Operations primarily consisted of private pilots flying in for tourism, air taxis transporting residents and supplies from Nassau or other Bahamian islands, and occasional medical evacuation flights. Its proximity to the main settlement of Port Nelson made it convenient, but its short length and unpaved surface limited the size and type of aircraft that could use it, especially during wet conditions. It was crucial for the island's limited tourism and connection to the outside world before its replacement.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Port Nelson Airstrip. The existence of the superior and fully operational Rum Cay Airport (MYRP) a short distance away makes the old airstrip entirely redundant. Any investment in aviation infrastructure on the island would be directed towards maintaining or upgrading the current airport, not rehabilitating the old, poorly located one.