Bulchi Airport

Replacement by a new, superior facility. The Ethiopian government invested in and constructed the new Sawla Airport, which features a 2.5 km paved runway, a modern terminal, and can accommodate larger aircraft like the De Havilland Canada Dash 8. The old Bulchi airstrip, being a basic and unpaved dirt strip, was made redundant by this modern development.

The site is abandoned and defunct. Satellite imagery confirms the location contains the clear outline of a former dirt runway. However, the strip is unmaintained, weathered, and shows no signs of aviation activity. It has not been formally redeveloped and is slowly being reclaimed by surrounding vegetation and agricultural land.

Bulchi Airport was a rudimentary airstrip that provided essential air access to the remote town of Sawla and the surrounding Gofa Zone. Its operations were limited to small, rugged, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft. It was not a commercial airport with scheduled flights but served a critical function for:
- Government and administrative travel.
- Medical evacuations (MEDEVAC).
- Humanitarian and missionary organizations (e.g., Mission Aviation Fellowship - MAF) delivering supplies and personnel.
- Small-scale private charter flights.
Its primary significance was as a lifeline connecting a relatively isolated community before the construction of the new airport and improved road networks.

Effectively zero. With the new, fully operational Sawla Airport (HASL) located just a few kilometers away and serving the exact same community with far greater capacity and safety, there is no economic, logistical, or political reason to reopen the old Bulchi airstrip. All regional air services are now handled by the new airport.