Orani Airfield

The primary reason for the airfield's final closure was economic land redevelopment. The land occupied by the airstrip was more valuable for other uses, leading to its conversion. Satellite imagery confirms that the area was systematically transformed into fishponds, a major local industry. There was no single major incident or military conversion that led to its closure; it was a gradual process of the land being repurposed for aquaculture.

The site of the former Orani Airfield is now completely unrecognizable as an airport. The land has been entirely converted into a vast network of commercial fishponds (aquaculture). There are no remaining structures, runway markings, or any other physical remnants of the airfield. The area is actively used for agriculture and aquaculture by the local community.

Orani Airfield has significant World War II history. It was one of several emergency airfields hastily constructed by the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) during the Battle of Bataan in late 1941 and early 1942. Its primary role was to serve as a forward fighter strip for the defense of the Bataan Peninsula. The airfield was notably used by the USAAF's 17th Pursuit Squadron, which flew P-40 Warhawk fighter planes. Operations were extremely difficult due to constant Japanese air raids and the rapid advance of Japanese ground forces. The airfield was operational for only a very short period before it was abandoned and captured by the Imperial Japanese Army in January 1942. After the war, the site was eventually repurposed as a small, private/agricultural airstrip, which is when it was assigned the local ICAO identifier PH-0255.

There are zero known plans or prospects for reopening Orani Airfield. The complete redevelopment of the land for aquaculture, combined with the fact that it is now likely divided among multiple private owners, makes any potential reopening logistically and financially infeasible. The region's aviation needs are served by larger, more established airports like Clark International Airport and the Bataan Provincial Airport (formerly Basa Air Base).