Chinguetti Airport

A combination of economic obsolescence and regional security issues. The primary reason was the development and expansion of the nearby Atar International Airport (ATR/GQPA) in the early 2000s. Atar was upgraded to handle larger international charter jets (e.g., Boeing 737s) directly from Europe, making it the main tourist gateway to the Adrar region. The smaller, more primitive Chinguetti airstrip became redundant. The subsequent sharp decline in tourism in the late 2000s due to the increased risk from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) eliminated any remaining charter traffic, sealing its fate.

The site is completely abandoned and non-operational. Satellite imagery confirms the existence of a single, unpaved runway oriented roughly northeast-southwest, with a length of approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). The runway is unmaintained, heavily eroded, and is being progressively encroached upon by desert sand. There are no remaining buildings, navigational aids, fences, or any other aviation infrastructure. The airstrip is unused and is slowly being reclaimed by the Sahara desert.

The airport's significance was entirely tied to the development of tourism in Mauritania. It was a basic desert airstrip constructed to provide direct air access for tourists visiting the ancient city of Chinguetti, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its historic libraries. When active, it primarily handled small charter aircraft, such as light turboprops (e.g., Cessna Caravan, Twin Otter) or piston-engine planes. These flights carried small, often high-end, tourist groups from Mauritania's coastal cities like Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, bypassing the long and arduous overland journey by 4x4. It played a crucial role in the initial phase of opening this remote historical site to international tourism before larger-scale operations were consolidated at the more capable Atar airport.

There are no known plans or credible prospects for reopening the airport. Its function has been fully and more efficiently replaced by Atar International Airport, which is located approximately 80 km (50 miles) away by a road accessible to 4x4 vehicles. The significant investment required to clear, resurface, and certify the runway, combined with the lack of sufficient demand to justify a second airport in such close proximity to Atar, makes its reopening economically unviable. Future tourism efforts will continue to be centered on Atar as the regional air hub.