Dunbar Airport

The closure was due to a combination of economic and demographic factors. The airstrip exclusively served the very small, remote Dunbar farm settlement. As with many small farm airstrips in the Falklands, its use declined as the resident population dwindled and transport needs changed. With insufficient demand, it was no longer economically viable for FIGAS to fly there or for the farm to maintain the strip to the required standard. The closure was not related to military conversion or a specific accident.

The site is currently part of the Dunbar farm's pasture land. Satellite imagery shows the faint but still discernible outline of a single, unpaved grass/dirt runway. It is overgrown and completely unusable for aviation. There are no remaining airport infrastructure, such as buildings or markers. The land has reverted to agricultural use.

The Dunbar airstrip's significance was purely local but vital to the community it served. For decades, it was one of dozens of unpaved runways scattered across the 'Camp' (the Falklands countryside outside of Stanley). Its sole operation was handling flights by the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS). These flights, using rugged Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, were the lifeline for the isolated Dunbar farm, transporting residents, mail, medical personnel, veterinarians, and light cargo. Along with the radio telephone, this airstrip was the primary link between the settlement and the capital, Stanley, before the development of a more extensive road network.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Dunbar airstrip. The Falkland Islands' internal transport network relies on a core set of better-maintained airstrips and an expanding road system. Reopening would require a significant and sustained increase in population or economic activity at the Dunbar settlement to create the necessary demand for FIGAS flights, which is considered highly unlikely.