Johnston Atoll Airport

The closure was a direct result of military mission completion and base closure. The primary mission of Johnston Atoll from the 1970s until the early 2000s was the storage and destruction of chemical weapons under the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) program. Once the chemical weapons stockpile was successfully destroyed and the extensive environmental cleanup and remediation of the island were completed, the strategic need for the military base and its associated airport ceased to exist. The closure was part of a broader post-Cold War military drawdown and realignment.

The site is now a closed and abandoned airfield within the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, which is part of the larger Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The runway, taxiways, and parking aprons still exist but are not maintained and are being slowly reclaimed by nature, particularly by nesting seabirds. The runway is officially closed and considered unsafe for any aircraft operations. All buildings and infrastructure related to the former base have been dismantled and removed as part of the environmental remediation. Access to the atoll is severely restricted and requires a special-use permit, typically granted only for scientific research or habitat management.

Johnston Atoll Airport (historical ICAO: PJON, IATA: JON) had immense strategic importance throughout the 20th century.

- **Pre-WWII & WWII:** Initially developed as a naval air station in the 1930s, it was significantly expanded after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It served as a vital refueling and staging point for U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces aircraft transiting the Pacific, and as a base for patrol bombers. It was shelled by a Japanese submarine in December 1941.

- **Cold War Nuclear Testing:** From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, the atoll was a primary launch and observation site for high-altitude nuclear tests, including Operation Hardtack I, Operation Dominic, and Operation Fishbowl. The airport was critical for transporting personnel, scientific equipment, and supporting the large-scale logistics of these tests.

- **Satellite & Missile Defense:** It served as a terminal for the Program 437 anti-satellite weapon system in the 1960s and supported various missile defense programs.

- **Chemical Weapons Disposal:** From 1971 until its closure, its main role was supporting the storage and eventual incineration of U.S. chemical weapons, including nerve and blister agents moved from Okinawa and West Germany. The airport handled regular flights (often operated by Aloha Airlines or Continental Micronesia with Boeing 727s and 737s) to transport the thousands of military and civilian personnel who worked at the JACADS facility.

- **Emergency Airfield:** Due to its long, robust runway (9,000 ft / 2,743 m) and strategic location in the vast Pacific Ocean, it was a designated emergency landing site for both commercial trans-Pacific flights and the NASA Space Shuttle.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport. Its remote location, the immense cost of restoring and maintaining infrastructure, and its current status as a protected National Wildlife Refuge make any commercial or military reactivation highly improbable. The primary management goal for the atoll is the conservation and restoration of its unique ecosystem and wildlife, particularly the large populations of seabirds and marine life. Reopening an airport would be contrary to these conservation objectives.