Yemo Airport

The airport was not officially closed by decree but rather abandoned. The primary reasons are a combination of economic decline, regional instability, and the cessation of the specific operations that required it. Airstrips of this nature were often built and maintained by private entities (like logging or mining companies) or missionary groups. As these organizations left the area due to conflict or financial reasons, there were no resources or need to maintain the runway, which was quickly reclaimed by the aggressive vegetation of the Congo Basin.

The airport is closed and completely unusable. Satellite imagery confirms that the site is an abandoned airstrip. While the outline of the runway is still faintly visible from the air, it is heavily overgrown with dense vegetation and shrubs. There is no infrastructure such as a terminal, hangar, or tower remaining, if any ever existed. The land has been reclaimed by nature and is not currently used for any other purpose like agriculture or settlement.

Yemo Airport was a small, unpaved utility airstrip. Its significance was purely logistical, serving as a vital lifeline for the remote community of Yemo. It was never a commercial airport for passenger travel but was used by light, single-engine, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft such as Cessnas or Pilatus Porters. Its operations would have included:
- Transporting personnel for missionary, humanitarian (e.g., doctors), or commercial (e.g., logging) activities.
- Delivering essential supplies, medicine, mail, and equipment to an otherwise inaccessible area.
- Providing a means for medical evacuations.
The ICAO code 'CD-0056' is a non-official designator, often used by NGOs or other organizations to catalogue unimproved landing sites, which underscores its role as a functional, rather than a formally registered, airfield.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening Yemo Airport. Reopening the airstrip would require significant investment and labor to clear the extensive vegetation, re-grade and compact the runway surface, and ensure the approach paths are clear of obstacles. Such an effort would only be undertaken if a new, compelling economic or humanitarian need arose in the immediate vicinity, such as the establishment of a large-scale agricultural project, a major mining discovery, or a sustained humanitarian aid operation requiring an air bridge. Given its remote location and the lack of such drivers, the prospect of reopening is extremely low.