Taratak Airfield

Replacement and Modernization. The primary reason for closure was its replacement by the new Rio Tuba Airport (RPUR). Taratak Airfield was a basic, likely unpaved or gravel airstrip with limited facilities. The new airport was built to higher standards with a paved runway, modern navigation aids, and better terminal facilities to safely accommodate larger, more modern aircraft and handle the increasing logistical demands of the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation and the growing community.

The site is permanently closed and has been repurposed. The former runway is no longer usable for aviation. It is heavily overgrown with vegetation, and a significant portion of the southern half of the runway area is now occupied by the Rio Tuba Solar Power Plant, a large-scale solar farm that supplies power to the mining operations and local community. The remaining land is unused.

Taratak Airfield was a private corporate airstrip owned and operated by the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC), a major nickel producer in the Philippines. Its sole purpose was to support the mining operations in the remote municipality of Bataraza. The airfield was a critical logistical link, used for transporting company personnel, executives, high-value cargo, and spare parts between the mine site and major cities like Manila and Puerto Princesa. It also served a vital role in medical evacuations. Operations were limited to small, short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) capable aircraft, such as Cessnas and other light propeller planes suitable for a basic airstrip.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening Taratak Airfield. Its function has been entirely and permanently superseded by the operational Rio Tuba Airport (RPUR). The construction of the solar farm directly on the former runway makes its reactivation as an airfield physically impossible.