Macáuzinho Airport

The closure was due to economic and logistical reasons. The airport was privately built and maintained by a consortium of local salt companies, led by Salina Soledade S/A, to support their business operations. The decline in the use of private corporate aircraft for this purpose, combined with the high costs of runway and facility maintenance, made the airfield financially unviable for its private owners.

The site is completely abandoned and in an advanced state of decay. Satellite imagery shows the 1200-meter asphalt runway is severely cracked, weathered, and overgrown with weeds and shrubs. There are no operational facilities, and the area is reportedly used by locals for unauthorized activities like driving practice and illegal street racing. It is completely unusable for any aviation purposes.

Built in the 1970s, the airport was a critical piece of infrastructure for the salt industry in Macau, one of Brazil's most important salt-producing regions. Its primary function was to handle private and corporate aviation, transporting company executives, engineers, and important clients to and from the remote salt production facilities. It significantly reduced travel time from major urban centers, facilitating business and technical support for the industry. The airport never handled scheduled commercial passenger flights and its significance was tied directly to the economic activity of the salt companies.

Uncertain and currently low. Over the past decade, various local and state politicians have proposed renovating the airport to support regional tourism, the offshore oil and gas industry (Petrobras has operations nearby), and the burgeoning renewable energy sector (wind farms). However, despite these recurring discussions and feasibility assessments, no concrete project with secured funding has been initiated. The primary obstacles are the high cost of completely rebuilding the runway and infrastructure, as well as resolving the private ownership of the land. As of now, its reopening remains a political aspiration rather than a tangible plan.