Kombot Airstrip

The specific reason for closure is not officially recorded. However, the most probable cause is a combination of factors common to the closure of remote PNG airstrips:
1. **Lack of Maintenance:** The runway surface, likely unpaved grass or gravel, deteriorated over time due to weather and vegetation growth, making it unsafe for landings and takeoffs. Local communities are often responsible for maintenance, which can lapse without external support.
2. **Economic Non-viability:** A decline in passenger and cargo traffic may have made scheduled or charter flights uneconomical for operators.
3. **Reduced Missionary/Government Activity:** Many such airstrips were built and sustained by missionary organizations or for government patrols. A reduction in these activities in the area would have removed the primary reason for the airstrip's existence.

The airstrip is definitively closed and unusable. Satellite imagery of the location shows the faint outline of a runway, but it is completely overgrown with tall grass, shrubs, and small trees. The land has reverted to natural jungle and is not maintained for any purpose. There are no visible signs of any aviation infrastructure remaining.

Kombot Airstrip served as a critical transportation hub for the village of Kombot and nearby communities along the Sepik River in East Sepik Province. In a region with virtually no road infrastructure, the airstrip was a lifeline, connecting residents to essential services in larger towns like Wewak. Operations would have consisted of light aircraft, such as the Pilatus Porter, Britten-Norman Islander, and Cessna 206. These flights, operated by missionary groups (like Mission Aviation Fellowship - MAF) and third-level commercial airlines (such as Talair or Air Niugini's regional services), transported medical supplies, patients, mail, missionaries, government officials, and vital cargo.

There are currently no known official plans or prospects for reopening Kombot Airstrip. The rehabilitation of rural airstrips in PNG is managed by the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA), and Kombot is not on their public list of current or planned projects. Reopening would require a significant community and government effort to clear and restore the runway, secure funding, and demonstrate a sustainable need for air services to the area. Given the challenges, the prospect of reopening in the near future is extremely low.