Satawani Airstrip

Operational replacement and facility upgrade. The Satawani Airstrip (BW-0059) was closed after being replaced by the new, modern Santawani Airstrip (ICAO: FBSW), located approximately 2.2 km to the west-southwest. This is a common practice for safari lodges in the region to upgrade their infrastructure to meet modern safety standards, improve all-weather reliability, and potentially accommodate slightly larger charter aircraft. The new airstrip is better maintained and situated, rendering the old one obsolete.

The site is completely abandoned and is reverting to its natural state. Satellite imagery clearly shows the former runway outline is heavily overgrown with savanna grass and scrub. It is no longer maintained, is completely unusable for any aviation purposes, and is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding wilderness.

The airstrip's sole purpose was to serve the Santawani Safari Lodge, providing essential air access for tourists and supplies into a remote area of Botswana's Okavango Delta. As a typical 'bush strip', it handled light charter aircraft, primarily operating from Maun, the main gateway to the delta. Its significance was purely logistical, enabling the high-value, low-volume tourism model that characterizes the region. It played a vital role in the lodge's operations before the construction of its modern replacement.

None. There are no known plans or logical reasons for the airstrip to reopen. The Santawani Safari Lodge is now fully and more effectively served by the newer Santawani Airstrip (FBSW). Reinstating the old, likely non-compliant airstrip would be economically and operationally redundant.