Bui-Dama Airport

Economic reasons and aviation fleet modernization. The airstrip, locally known as Dama Airstrip, was a basic, unpaved facility suitable only for small aircraft. As Fiji's domestic airlines, like Fiji Air (now Fiji Link), transitioned to larger, more modern turboprop aircraft (e.g., ATR 42/72), operations were consolidated at the larger, paved airports on the island of Vanua Levu, primarily Labasa (NFNL) and Savusavu (NFNS). The Dama airstrip became operationally obsolete and economically unviable.

The airport is completely abandoned and disused. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows a clearly identifiable runway outline that is heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees. There are no visible signs of any remaining airport infrastructure like buildings, hangars, or ground equipment. The site is unused and is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Bui-Dama Airport, or Dama Airstrip, was the primary air access point for the Bua Province, a significant agricultural region on Fiji's second-largest island, Vanua Levu. In its active years, it was a vital link for government administration, medical transport and evacuations, and limited passenger and cargo services connecting the remote province to the rest of Fiji. It was primarily serviced by small Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft, such as the Britten-Norman Islander, which were the workhorses of Fiji's domestic aviation in that era.

There are no known plans to reopen or refurbish the original Bui-Dama airstrip. However, the Fijian Government has had long-standing plans (discussed publicly since at least 2015) to build a new, modern airport within the Bua Province to boost economic development, tourism, and agricultural exports. Feasibility studies and site surveys have been conducted for a new airport capable of handling ATR aircraft, but the project has not yet moved to the construction phase. The focus is on an entirely new facility at a different location, not the revival of the old Dama strip.