Biliau Airport

The closure was due to economic reasons and a lack of maintenance. Like many small, remote airstrips in Papua New Guinea, Biliau became unsustainable to operate. Factors contributing to its closure include the high cost of runway upkeep, a decline in subsidized missionary or government flight services, and the consolidation of air traffic to larger, more viable regional airports. Without consistent funding and a dedicated local effort for maintenance, the grass runway became overgrown and unserviceable.

The former airstrip is completely abandoned and unusable for aviation. Satellite imagery shows the runway's outline is still visible but is heavily overgrown with tall grass, shrubs, and other vegetation. The land is now likely used by the local community for gardening, as a footpath, or for grazing animals.

Biliau Airfield was a pre-war civil airstrip. During World War II, it gained strategic importance after being occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. It served as a Japanese forward base on the Rai Coast until it was neutralized by Allied air attacks and subsequently captured by Australian forces in early 1944. After the war, the airstrip became a vital lifeline for the Biliau community and surrounding villages. It was used extensively by missionary aviation organizations and third-level commercial operators for transporting people, medical supplies, mail, and cargo, connecting this isolated coastal region to administrative centers like Madang.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Biliau airstrip. The cost of clearing the land, restoring the runway surface, and meeting modern safety and certification standards would be substantial. Given the small population it would serve and the lack of significant economic drivers in the immediate area, investment in its reopening is considered highly unlikely. The focus for rural aviation in PNG is on maintaining a core network of strategic airstrips rather than reopening all historical ones.