Koumala Airport

The primary reason for the airport's closure was its abandonment due to the chronic and severe political instability, civil war, and lack of security in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture. This led to a cessation of the missionary, humanitarian, or potential mining activities that would have sustained it. The resulting lack of funding, maintenance, and safe operating conditions made the airstrip unusable, causing it to fall into disrepair and become overgrown.

The site is completely abandoned and defunct. Satellite imagery from the coordinates (8.4965, 21.2565) clearly shows the faint outline of a single, unpaved runway. However, the entire airstrip is heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees, rendering it unusable for any form of aviation. There are no visible signs of buildings, equipment, or any human activity at the site.

Koumala Airport was a remote, rudimentary dirt airstrip of local, not national, importance. Its ICAO code, CF-0014, is a non-standard identifier likely assigned by a private database rather than an official aviation authority. Historically, airfields of this type in remote Central Africa were crucial lifelines. It was likely built in the mid-to-late 20th century to serve missionary groups, humanitarian aid organizations for delivering supplies and medical services, or possibly for mineral prospecting companies. The airport would have handled small, single-engine, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, providing vital access to a region with an extremely poor or non-existent road infrastructure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Koumala Airport. Any potential for reopening is entirely dependent on a long-term resolution to the security crisis in the Central African Republic, which is not anticipated in the near future. Re-establishing the airstrip would require significant investment to clear the land, regrade the runway, and ensure a secure environment for operations, none of which is feasible given the current political and economic climate of the region.