Lydford Airstrip

Economic reasons. The airstrip was a private facility owned by and exclusively serving the Lydford bauxite mining and processing plant. When the plant, last operated by the state-owned Lydford Mining Company Ltd., permanently closed due to economic non-viability and shifts in the global aluminum market, the airstrip was abandoned as it no longer had a purpose.

The site is abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery shows a clearly defined but heavily deteriorated and overgrown paved runway. The surface is cracked, weathered, and unsuitable for any aviation activity. The former runway appears to be used informally by locals as an access road or track. There are no airport facilities, lighting, or buildings remaining in operation.

Lydford Airstrip was a private airfield built and operated to support the significant bauxite industry in the parish of St. Ann, initially by Reynolds Jamaica Mines. Its primary function was to facilitate corporate and executive transport, fly in specialized technicians and urgent spare parts, and provide a landing site for emergency medical evacuations for the large-scale mining operations. It primarily handled small general aviation aircraft, such as single-engine planes and small twin-engine turboprops. The airstrip was an integral piece of infrastructure for what was a major economic driver for Jamaica for several decades.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening the airstrip. The Jamaican government has been divesting the lands of the former Lydford Mining Company for other uses, with proposals focusing on agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics. Given its advanced state of decay and the proximity of the larger, fully-equipped Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ/MKJS) approximately 30 km to the northeast, the economic case for restoring and reopening this small strip is considered non-existent.