Ke-Macina Airport

The closure is attributed to a combination of factors, primarily the severe deterioration of the security situation in central Mali since 2012. Operating and maintaining a remote, unsecured airstrip became untenable. This was likely compounded by economic factors, such as the cessation of specific projects that required air support or a general lack of funding for maintenance, making road transport the only viable option.

The airport is completely closed and non-operational. High-resolution satellite imagery shows the former runway is still faintly visible but is heavily overgrown with grass and scrub. It is bisected by several dirt tracks used by local vehicles and pedestrians. There are no remaining airport structures like hangars or terminal buildings. The site has effectively reverted to semi-arid scrubland and is used for informal local transit and possibly animal grazing.

Ke-Macina Airport was a local, unpaved airstrip likely constructed to support the 'Office du Niger,' one of West Africa's largest irrigation and agricultural schemes, which focuses on rice and sugarcane cultivation. When active, it would have handled small, light aircraft (e.g., Cessna, Pilatus Porter) for various purposes:
- **Administrative & Logistical Support:** Transporting government officials, agricultural engineers, and technicians to and from the remote project area.
- **Cargo:** Flying in urgent spare parts for farming and irrigation equipment.
- **Agricultural Aviation:** Potentially used for aerial crop dusting (application of pesticides or fertilizers) over the vast cultivated areas.
- **Medical Evacuation:** Providing a vital link for emergency medical transport from a remote region.
The airport was never a commercial passenger facility but served as a crucial piece of infrastructure for the management of the agricultural zone.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Ke-Macina Airport. The prospects are considered extremely low to non-existent due to the ongoing security crisis in the region, the high cost of rehabilitation (clearing, grading, and compacting the runway), and the lack of a clear economic or strategic driver that would justify the investment. The airstrip is considered permanently abandoned.