Aeon Field

Military abandonment. The airfield was a purpose-built military installation supporting nuclear weapons testing. Following the conclusion of the British 'Operation Grapple' (1957-58) and the US 'Operation Dominic' (1962), and the subsequent signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963, the extensive military infrastructure on Kiritimati was no longer required. The main airfield was converted for civilian use, while this secondary strip was abandoned.

The site is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery clearly shows the faint but unmistakable outline of a single, long runway at the specified coordinates. The tarmac or coral runway surface is heavily degraded and almost entirely overgrown with scrub vegetation. There is no remaining infrastructure such as buildings, towers, or lighting. The site is not used for any purpose and is slowly being reclaimed by the natural environment of the atoll.

The airfield, historically known as South-East Point Airfield, was a critical component of the Cold War nuclear testing infrastructure on Kiritimati (then Christmas Island). It was constructed by British Royal Engineers in the mid-1950s as a secondary or dispersal airstrip for 'Operation Grapple', the UK's thermonuclear bomb testing program. Its purpose was to serve as an emergency backup for the main airfield (now Cassidy International Airport), to allow for the dispersal of valuable aircraft as a precaution, and potentially to support specific scientific monitoring flights away from the main base. It was used by a variety of British military aircraft, including Vickers Valiant V-bombers, English Electric Canberra bombers/samplers, and Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft. The base was later used by the United States for its 'Operation Dominic' series of high-altitude nuclear tests in 1962. The names 'Aeon Field' and the ICAO identifier 'KI-0002' are likely modern, unofficial designations found in non-governmental aviation databases, not its historical operational name.

There are zero known plans or prospects for reopening this airfield. The aviation needs of Kiritimati are adequately met by the single, operational Cassidy International Airport (ICAO: PLCH, IATA: CXI), which has a paved runway and handles all of the island's domestic and international flights. The prohibitive cost of clearing, rebuilding, and maintaining a second airfield in such a remote location, combined with a complete lack of demand, makes its reactivation economically and logistically unfeasible.