Kauaia Airstrip

The closure was due to economic and logistical factors, which is common for many remote airstrips in Papua New Guinea. The primary reason was a lack of consistent funding for maintenance. Without regular upkeep, the grass runway surface would have deteriorated, and vegetation would have encroached, making it unsafe for aircraft operations. It was not closed for military conversion or due to a specific major accident, but rather fell into a state of disrepair until it was no longer usable.

The airstrip site is currently abandoned and completely reclaimed by nature. Satellite imagery confirms that the former runway is heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees, making it totally indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain except for a faint outline. There are no buildings or infrastructure remaining, and the site is unusable for any aviation purposes.

Kauaia Airstrip was a vital lifeline for the extremely remote community of Kauaia and surrounding villages in the mountainous terrain of East Sepik Province. When active, it connected the local population to the outside world. Operations would have consisted exclusively of light, STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, such as the Cessna 206 or Britten-Norman Islander. These flights were typically operated by third-level airlines or missionary aviation groups (like Mission Aviation Fellowship - MAF) to provide essential services, including medical evacuations (medevacs), delivery of food, medicine, and building supplies, and transportation for church, government, and healthcare workers.

There are no known or published plans by the Papua New Guinea government, the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA), or any private/non-profit organizations to rehabilitate or reopen Kauaia Airstrip. The cost of clearing the land, re-establishing a safe runway surface, and ensuring ongoing maintenance is substantial. Given the small population it serves and the existence of other priority projects, the prospects for reopening in the foreseeable future are considered extremely low to non-existent.