Villa Unión Airport

Replacement by a superior facility. The old Villa Unión Airport was a basic dirt airstrip. To boost tourism for the nearby Talampaya National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the provincial and national governments invested in a new, paved airport with modern infrastructure, the Aeródromo de Talampaya (SANI), located about 25 km away. The old airstrip was inadequate for the larger charter aircraft needed to support the growing tourism industry and was subsequently abandoned.

The site is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the clear outline of a dirt runway that is heavily weathered, overgrown with desert scrub, and crossed by erosion gullies and vehicle tracks. There are no visible buildings, hangars, or any other aviation infrastructure remaining. The land is unused and is slowly reverting to its natural state.

Villa Unión Airport (AR-0652) was a small, unpaved aerodrome that served general aviation, air taxi services, and light charter flights. Its primary function was to provide basic air access to the town of Villa Unión and the surrounding region, including for early tourism to Talampaya National Park. It operated with minimal infrastructure and was a typical rural airstrip, crucial for connecting remote areas before significant infrastructure investment was made in the region.

Non-existent. The existence of the nearby, modern, and paved Aeródromo de Talampaya (SANI) eliminates any practical or economic reason to restore this old, degraded dirt strip. All regional aviation efforts and investments are focused on the new airport, which is better equipped to handle tourist and commercial traffic. There are no known plans or discussions to reopen AR-0652.