Tarapaina Airport

The closure was a result of several factors. Initially, it was closed due to military abandonment as it was no longer strategically necessary after the end of WWII. For civilian purposes, it was closed due to economic non-viability, redundancy caused by the proximity of the larger and better-maintained Auki Gwaunaru'u Airport (AGGA), and the prohibitive cost of maintaining the runway to a safe standard.

The airport is completely defunct and overgrown. The original runway is still faintly visible from satellite imagery as a straight clearing next to the coast, but it is covered in grass, shrubs, and is not maintained. The land is now used as an open space by the local community of Tarapaina village. It is entirely unsuitable for any form of aviation.

Tarapaina Airfield was a significant forward airbase during the World War II Solomon Islands campaign. It was constructed by the U.S. Navy's 27th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) in June 1943. The airfield featured a single 3,300-foot coral runway and served as an auxiliary and emergency landing strip for U.S. Marine Corps and Navy aircraft operating from the main bases on Guadalcanal. It was particularly important for fighter squadrons, including USMC VMF-123 and VMF-124 flying F4U Corsair aircraft, supporting Allied advances northward through the Solomon Islands.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Tarapaina Airport. The Solomon Islands government and aviation authorities focus their resources on maintaining and upgrading existing, active airports. The significant cost required to clear, rebuild, and certify the long-abandoned airstrip makes its revival economically and logistically unfeasible.