🇹🇱 Cakung Airport

Baucau Airport (WPEC/BCH), formerly known as Cakung Airport, is an unattended military and public airport located near Baucau, Timor-Leste. It is the largest airport in Timor-Leste, with a runway (14/32) measuring 2,509 meters (8,233 feet) long and 56 meters wide, capable of handling large commercial airliners,.

Notable Features and History:

• Construction began in 1946 and it opened in May 1947, serving as Portuguese Timor's main airfield for international flights to Darwin and domestic flights.
• In 1963, the runway was adapted to handle Boeing 707s.
• During the Indonesian invasion in 1975, the airport was captured by Indonesian forces and subsequently used by the Indonesian Air Force, closing to civilian traffic,.
• It served as a key logistics hub for INTERFET and various UN missions from 1999 until 2012.
• The airport has historically been used as a primary airport for humanitarian cargo due to its runway size, quality, and location,.

Current Status: As of 2022, Baucau Airport is mostly unused for civilian aircraft and primarily serves military operations and medical evacuations (MEDEVAC),. While it has a terminal building, it lacks a passenger terminal, customs, immigration, and ground handling services. A rehabilitation project, initiated in 2021 and beginning in January 2022, included runway repairs, perimeter fence repair, and the construction of a 477 m² warehouse,. Usage of the airport requires approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Timor-Leste (AACTL). Nighttime operations are generally only allowed in exceptional cases.

*Sources researched: en.wikipedia.org, lca.logcluster.org, airports-worldwide.com, freight-academy.com*