Gbado Airport

Political upheaval and regime change. The airport's primary function was to serve President Mobutu Sese Seko's personal and state travel to his lavish palaces in his home village of Gbadolite. When he was overthrown during the First Congo War in 1997, the airport lost its sole purpose, funding, and security. Subsequent conflicts in the region led to the looting of its equipment and the rapid decay of its infrastructure.

The airport is largely derelict. The massive runway is still visible from satellite imagery but is severely cracked, pitted, and overgrown with vegetation, making it unusable for large jet aircraft. The terminal building, control tower, and other facilities are in ruins, having been stripped of all valuable materials and left to decay in the jungle. The site is occasionally used by small, rugged aircraft, primarily operated by United Nations (MONUSCO) peacekeepers and humanitarian organizations, which can utilize short, less-damaged sections of the runway.

Gbadolite Airport was a symbol of the excess and power of the Mobutu regime. Built in a remote jungle location, it featured an exceptionally long runway (approximately 3,200 meters / 10,500 feet) and a modern terminal. Its most famous distinction was its ability to handle the Concorde supersonic transport (SST). President Mobutu frequently chartered an Air France Concorde for personal and diplomatic trips to Paris and other destinations, making Gbadolite one of the few unlikely African destinations for the iconic aircraft. The airport was the gateway to Mobutu's 'Versailles in the Jungle,' facilitating state visits and the transport of luxury goods.

There are no active, funded plans to restore Gbadolite Airport to its former glory. The Congolese government has occasionally mentioned the possibility of rehabilitating the airport to boost economic development in the isolated Nord-Ubangi province. However, the immense cost of such a project, combined with the region's political instability and lack of significant economic drivers, makes a full reopening highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.