Birni-N'Konni Airport

The primary reason for closure was a combination of economic non-viability and infrastructure development. The airport, with its unpaved runway, likely saw very little traffic and was not economically sustainable. The Nigerien government prioritized upgrading the national road network, leading to the realignment and paving of Route Nationale 1 (N1), which was built directly across the southern portion of the runway, rendering it permanently unusable for aviation.

The site is completely defunct and no longer recognizable as an active airport. The southern third of the former runway has been paved over and is now part of the main N1 highway. The remaining northern two-thirds of the runway strip are heavily eroded, overgrown with vegetation, and show signs of encroachment from local roads and possible small-scale agriculture. There are no remaining airport facilities like a terminal or hangars. The land has been repurposed for transportation infrastructure and is otherwise abandoned.

Birni-N'Konni Airport served as a regional airstrip for the important border and market town of Birni-N'Konni. When active, it provided a vital air link for government and administrative travel, medical evacuations, and limited charter or private flights connecting the Tahoua Region to the capital, Niamey, and other parts of the country. Operations were limited to STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, such as the Dornier 228 or Twin Otter, capable of handling its unpaved laterite runway. The airport played a role in the logistical and administrative connectivity of this remote but economically significant area before the road infrastructure was substantially improved.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Birni-N'Konni Airport. The physical bisection of the runway by a critical national highway makes reopening logistically and financially infeasible, as it would require rerouting the highway and completely rebuilding the airstrip. Given Niger's current economic and political priorities, investment is focused on maintaining its larger, operational airports rather than reviving small, defunct regional airstrips.