Melanes Airport

The closure was due to a combination of factors, primarily the improvement of regional road infrastructure and the consolidation of air services to the larger, better-equipped Patreksfjörður Airport (BIPA), located approximately 25 km away by air. This made the small, unpaved airstrip at Melanes economically unviable and largely redundant for both regular transport and emergency services.

The site of the former airport is now open grassland. The faint outlines of the two crossing runways are still visible on satellite imagery but are overgrown and no longer suitable for aviation. The land is part of the surrounding natural landscape and farmland, likely used for sheep grazing, and is located adjacent to the popular Melanes campsite. The site is not maintained or marked as an airfield.

Melanes Airport was a vital lifeline for the remote Rauðasandur area in Iceland's Westfjords during the mid-to-late 20th century. Before reliable road access, the airstrip was crucial for emergency medical flights (Sjúkraflug), mail delivery, transport of essential supplies, and providing passenger connectivity for the local farming community. It consisted of two unpaved, gravel runways and primarily handled small propeller aircraft. It represents a typical example of the numerous rural airstrips that were essential to Iceland's infrastructure before the modernization of its road network.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Melanes Airport. Regional air transport needs are adequately met by the nearby Patreksfjörður Airport (BIPA). The significant cost of rebuilding, paving, and certifying the airstrip to modern aviation standards, coupled with a lack of demand, makes its revival highly improbable.