Rakops Airport

Rakops, BW 🇧🇼 Closed Airport

ICAO

BW-0064

IATA

-

Elevation

3000 ft

Region

BW-CE

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: -21.0° N, 24.333° E

Continent: AF

Type: Closed Airport

Keywords: FBRK FBRK

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.
Nearby Points of Interest

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 24, 2025
Closure Date

Circa 2011. The airport was officially closed and decommissioned following the construction and commissioning of the new Rakops Airport (ICAO: FBRA) nearby.

Reason for Closure

Replacement and Obsolescence. The government of Botswana invested in building a new, modern airport with a paved runway and superior facilities to better serve the region. The old airstrip (BW-0064) was a basic, unpaved dirt strip that was rendered obsolete and redundant by the new facility. The closure was part of a national infrastructure upgrade to improve safety, accommodate larger aircraft, and support the growing tourism industry.

Current Status

The site is abandoned and defunct. An analysis of recent satellite imagery shows that the former runway is no longer maintained and is being reclaimed by nature. Its outline is still faintly visible but is heavily overgrown with savanna scrub and grass. There are no remaining buildings or infrastructure on the site, and the land is not being used for any formal purpose.

Historical Significance

The old Rakops Airport was a vital, if rudimentary, link for a very remote region of Botswana. As a basic unpaved airstrip, it primarily served as a crucial hub for the tourism sector, handling light charter aircraft for fly-in safaris. It provided access for international tourists visiting luxury lodges in and around the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Additionally, it was used for essential services such as medical evacuations, government administrative travel, and the delivery of supplies to the village of Rakops and surrounding remote camps.

Reopening Prospects

There are no plans or prospects for reopening this airport. It has been permanently and officially replaced by the new Rakops Airport (FBRA), which is fully operational just a few kilometers to the southeast. All regional air traffic and any future aviation investment are focused on the new, modern facility, making the reopening of the old, inferior airstrip unnecessary and unfeasible.

Nearby Airports

Xhumaga Airport
BW-0045
Xhumaga, BW
Small Airport
~64 km away
Haina Ventures Airport
FBHV
Hainaveld, BW
Small Airport
~69 km away
Deception Valley Airport
FBDV
Deception Valley Lodge, BW
Small Airport
~70 km away
Central Kalahari Airport
BW-0051
NoneBW
Small Airport
~83 km away
Makalamabedi Airport
BW-0063
Makalamabedi, BW
Small Airport
~88 km away
Motopi Airport
BW-0002
Motopi, BW
Small Airport
~92 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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