Kayuadi Airport

The closure was due to a combination of economic and logistical factors. The primary reasons include:
1. **Economic Non-Viability:** Operating subsidized 'perintis' (pioneer) flights to such a remote location with a small population was not sustainable.
2. **High Maintenance Costs:** Maintaining even a basic grass/dirt runway in a remote, tropical environment is challenging and expensive.
3. **Shift in Regional Transport Strategy:** The Indonesian government has focused on upgrading and improving services to the main regional airport, H. Aroeppala Airport (IATA: KSR) on the larger Selayar Island. It is more efficient to fly passengers to this central hub and have them continue to the Taka Bonerate islands via improved sea transport (ferries and speedboats).

The airport is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery confirms that the former runway is entirely overgrown with grass, shrubs, and other vegetation, making it indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape except for its linear shape. There are no remaining aviation facilities or buildings. The land is likely used by local villagers as an open space or pathway.

Kayuadi Airport was a basic pioneer airstrip with a single, unpaved (grass/dirt) runway approximately 750 meters (2,460 ft) long. Its purpose was to provide essential air connectivity for the isolated communities on Kayuadi Island and to support the administration of the Taka Bonerate National Park, the world's third-largest atoll. Operations were limited to non-scheduled charter, government, or missionary flights using small, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft like the Cessna Caravan, Pilatus Porter, or Britten-Norman Islander. It never had scheduled commercial services and thus was not assigned an IATA code.

There are currently no concrete or funded plans to reopen Kayuadi Airport. While the idea of reactivating the airstrip has been occasionally mentioned in long-term regional development discussions as a way to boost high-end tourism by allowing direct charter flights to the Taka Bonerate National Park, these remain speculative aspirations. The current government focus remains on developing H. Aroeppala Airport and sea links. Reopening would require significant investment to clear, resurface, and secure the runway, making it an unlikely prospect in the near future.