Masslo Airport

Masslo, ET 🇪🇹 Closed Airport

ICAO

ET-0011

IATA

-

Elevation

4180 ft

Region

ET-OR

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 6.408491° N, 39.722443° E

Continent: AF

Type: Closed Airport

Keywords: HAML

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

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 25, 2025
Closure Date

The exact closure date is unknown. Analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates the airstrip has been in a state of disuse and unmaintained since at least the earliest available imagery in the early 2000s. The closure was likely not a single event but a gradual process of abandonment spanning several decades.

Reason for Closure

The airport was most likely closed due to a combination of economic factors and obsolescence. As a small, unpaved, and remote airstrip, it would have been built for a specific purpose (e.g., humanitarian aid, government administration, or security operations in a remote area). The closure likely occurred after this specific need ended, making the cost of maintenance unviable. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a major accident or a formal military conversion.

Current Status

As of the latest satellite imagery, the site is an abandoned and derelict airstrip. The faint outline of a single dirt or gravel runway is still visible, but it is heavily overgrown with grass and shrubs and is completely unusable for aircraft. There are no buildings, hangars, or any other aviation infrastructure remaining on the site. The land is effectively reverting to its natural state.

Historical Significance

Masslo Airport was a minor, unimproved airstrip and never served commercial passenger traffic. Its historical significance is purely local. Given its remote location in the Oromia Region near the Somali border—an area that has historically faced challenges with accessibility, drought, and conflict—the airstrip was almost certainly used for logistical support. Operations would have included flights for government administrative purposes, military or police patrols, and/or humanitarian missions by NGOs delivering food, medical supplies, and personnel. It served as a basic but vital link to an otherwise hard-to-reach area before it fell into disuse.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known or publicly announced plans to reopen Masslo Airport. The reactivation of such a small and remote airstrip would require a significant new strategic or economic driver, such as a major resource discovery, a large-scale development project, or a renewed, long-term humanitarian crisis in the immediate vicinity. Currently, Ethiopian aviation development focuses on larger regional and international airports, making the prospect of reopening Masslo extremely unlikely.

Nearby Airports

Adaba Airport
HAAD
Adaba, ET
Small Airport
~84 km away
Robe Airport
GOB • HAGB
Goba, ET
Small Airport
~86 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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