Gogrial Airstrip

The primary reason for the closure was functional obsolescence following the increased development and use of the nearby Kuajok Airport (HSSJ). Kuajok became the administrative capital of the newly formed Gogrial State (and later the reconstituted Warrap State), leading to investment in its infrastructure. As Kuajok Airport offered a longer, better-maintained, and more reliable runway, humanitarian and governmental air traffic was redirected there. The Gogrial Airstrip, with its unpaved dirt/laterite surface, was only usable during the dry season and became redundant, leading to a cessation of maintenance and its eventual fall into disuse.

The site is currently abandoned and disused for aviation purposes. Satellite imagery confirms the runway's outline remains clearly visible just east of Gogrial town, but it is unmaintained, overgrown in places, and its surface has likely degraded significantly. The land does not appear to have been repurposed for major construction or agriculture, but it is crossed by informal vehicle tracks and footpaths, effectively serving as open, derelict land.

For over two decades, Gogrial Airstrip was a critical lifeline for the region. Its peak significance was during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) and in the years following South Sudan's independence (2011). It was a key landing site for humanitarian organizations operating under the Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) umbrella and later the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). The airstrip facilitated the delivery of essential food aid, medical supplies, and personnel from agencies like the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to a population severely affected by conflict and famine. It primarily handled rugged, Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft, such as the DHC-6 Twin Otter, Cessna Caravan, and occasionally larger planes like the Antonov An-26, which were essential for accessing the remote area when roads were impassable due to seasonal rains or insecurity.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening the Gogrial Airstrip. Given the existence and continued operation of the superior Kuajok Airport, which adequately serves the region's needs, there is no logistical or economic justification for rehabilitating the old Gogrial strip. Any future air services for the area will almost certainly continue to utilize Kuajok. The prospect of reopening is extremely low and would likely only be considered in a highly specific and localized emergency scenario where Kuajok Airport was rendered unusable, which is improbable.