Ke-Macina, ML 🇲🇱 Closed Airport
ICAO
ML-0008
IATA
-
Elevation
902 ft
Region
ML-4
Local Time
Loading...
Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 13.966876° N, -5.382999° E
Continent: Africa
Type: Closed Airport
Help fellow travelers by sharing your experience at Ke-Macina Airport. Tips are reviewed before publishing.
It appears that Ke-Macina Airport (ML-0008, ICAO: GAKM) in Ke-Macina, Mali, has very limited public information available regarding recent traveler reviews or experiences. Multiple aviation databases and airport information sites indicate it is either a small airport or, in some cases, even listed as closed. Consequently, there is an absence of traveler sentiment, satisfaction ratings, or specific feedback on terminal facilities, security, transportation, or common complaints.
Due to the lack of available recent traveler reviews and experiences for Ke-Macina Airport (ML-0008), it is not possible to provide a summary of traveler sentiment or specific aspects of their journey. The airport appears to cater to a very limited or non-commercial aviation scope, resulting in no public feedback platforms.
Researching traveler experiences online...
No community tips yet for Ke-Macina Airport.
Be the first to share a helpful tip for fellow travelers!
Loading weather data...
| Designation | Length | Width | Surface | Status |
|---|
| Type | Description | Frequency |
|---|
Unknown, but evidence suggests a gradual abandonment between 2010 and 2015. Satellite imagery shows a clear, usable runway in the mid-2000s, with significant degradation and overgrowth becoming apparent by 2016. The closure was not a single event but a process of falling into disuse.
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.