Zăbala Airfield

Economic reasons are the most probable cause for closure. Like many small, local airfields in Romania, Zăbala Airfield likely became economically unviable following the political and economic shifts after 1989. The decline of state-subsidized agricultural aviation (crop dusting) and recreational flying clubs, which were the primary users of such grass strips, led to their widespread abandonment due to a lack of funding and maintenance.

The site of the former airfield is now an open field. The grass runway is completely overgrown and is indistinguishable from the surrounding agricultural land, likely used for grazing or making hay. The faint outline of the former runway is still visible on satellite imagery, but there are no remaining signs of aviation activity or infrastructure on the ground. The land has been fully returned to agricultural use.

Zăbala Airfield was a minor, local airstrip with no significant national historical importance. Its ICAO-like code, RO-0105, is an unofficial identifier used in non-governmental aviation databases, indicating it was not part of the national public airport network. Operations were limited to general aviation and utility purposes. It consisted of a single grass runway and lacked any substantial infrastructure like a terminal, control tower, or large hangars. Its primary function was likely serving agricultural aircraft (e.g., for crop dusting the surrounding farmland) and potentially local recreational activities such as sport flying or gliding.

There are no known or published plans, discussions, or prospects for reopening Zăbala Airfield. Re-establishing the airfield would require significant investment to clear the land, prepare a new runway surface, and build facilities. Given the lack of apparent demand for such a facility in the immediate area and the high costs involved, the prospect of it ever reopening for aviation purposes is extremely low.