Bau Airport

The closure was not due to a single event but rather a gradual abandonment resulting from a combination of factors. The primary reasons include: widespread economic collapse in Zaire (now DRC) starting in the 1980s, lack of government funding for maintenance of remote infrastructure, and severe regional instability caused by the First (1996-1997) and Second (1998-2003) Congo Wars. These factors made operations and maintenance of a minor, remote airstrip like Bau unviable.

The airport is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (3.733, 19.083) shows the clear outline of a former runway that is now heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees. There are no visible buildings, hangars, or any other airport infrastructure remaining. The land is reverting to natural savanna, and parts of the former airstrip may be used for local footpaths or small-scale agriculture.

Bau Airport was a small, local bush airstrip. Its significance was purely logistical, serving to connect the remote village of Bau and the surrounding area with larger towns in the region. It was likely unpaved (dirt or grass) and capable of handling only small, single-engine, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft. Operations would have been limited to light transport for government administration, missionary work, medical services, or small-scale commercial activities. The ICAO code 'CD-0048' is a country-specific identifier rather than an official international code, underscoring its status as a minor, local airfield with no scheduled passenger or cargo services.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Bau Airport. Given its remote location, the complete degradation of the runway surface, the lack of a significant local economy to support it, and the immense cost of rehabilitation, its reopening is considered extremely unlikely. Any investment in aviation infrastructure in the region would be prioritized for larger, more strategically important airports.