Mysterious Airfield on Gulf of Aden is Now Fully Operational

The airfield on Yemen’s Abd Al Kuri in the Socotra Archipelago now appears to be fully operational.

On February 16, the Sentinel 2 satellite caught a large transport aircraft on the northern end of the runway.  With the resolution available to common users, the aircraft configuration and wingspan is compatible with that of a C-17 transport aircraft.

The “missing” section of the runway at its northern end has been completed in concrete and now has white-painted runway markings similar to those applied to the rest of the runway. It appears that this section o…