Ahi Ru Airfield

The closure was a result of obsolescence and lack of demand. The airfield's primary purpose was for military and humanitarian logistics. It was closed for the following reasons:
1. **Cessation of Military/Humanitarian Need:** The airfield was crucial during the Indonesian occupation and the subsequent UN-led peacekeeping era. With the restoration of peace and the departure of international forces, its strategic purpose vanished.
2. **Economic Non-viability:** There is no commercial or civilian demand for air services to this remote location that would justify the significant cost of maintaining and operating an airfield.
3. **Infrastructure Deterioration:** As an unpaved airstrip, it required constant maintenance. Once abandoned, it quickly became overgrown and unusable due to weather and vegetation, a state confirmed by satellite imagery.

The site is currently abandoned and completely non-operational. Satellite imagery shows a clearly visible, straight scar on the landscape where the runway existed. However, the dirt/grass runway is heavily overgrown with vegetation and is returning to nature. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as buildings, lighting, or navigational aids. The land is unused for any formal purpose and is not maintained.

Ahi Ru Airfield, also commonly known as Loré Airfield, served as a strategic outpost airstrip. Its history is tied to the conflict and nation-building periods of Timor-Leste.
- **Indonesian Occupation (1975-1999):** It was likely used by the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) as a forward airstrip for transporting troops, equipment, and supplies for counter-insurgency operations against Fretilin resistance fighters in the remote and rugged Lautém District.
- **UN Administration (1999-2012):** Following the 1999 independence referendum, the airfield became a vital logistical hub for the Australian-led International Force East Timor (INTERFET) and subsequent United Nations missions (UNTAET, UNMISET, UNMIT). It was used by military transport aircraft (such as C-130 Hercules and DHC-4 Caribou) and helicopters to deliver peacekeepers, humanitarian aid (food, medicine), and supplies to one of the most isolated parts of the country, bypassing the poor and often impassable road network.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen Ahi Ru Airfield. The government of Timor-Leste's aviation development strategy is focused on its primary international gateway, Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, and a few key regional airports like Suai (Commander-in-Chief of FALINTIL Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão International Airport) and Oecusse (Rota do Sândalo Airport). The rehabilitation of a remote, small airstrip like Ahi Ru would require substantial investment for which there is no current economic or strategic justification. Therefore, the prospects for its reopening are considered extremely low to non-existent.