Aldeia Kremoro Airport

The primary reason for the closure was its role in facilitating illegal gold mining (garimpo) within the Menkragnoti Indigenous Land. The airstrip, being unregistered and clandestine, was identified by federal agencies like IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and the Federal Police as critical infrastructure for transporting miners, fuel, mercury, and supplies into the protected territory and flying out gold. Its closure was part of a broader federal strategy to dismantle criminal environmental operations and protect the indigenous population and the Amazon rainforest.

The site is a non-operational, unmaintained dirt runway that is still visible on satellite imagery as a clearing in the forest. It is likely that government forces have rendered it unusable by digging trenches across its surface or placing other obstacles to prevent aircraft from landing. The area is subject to ongoing monitoring by environmental and federal authorities to prevent its reactivation for illegal mining activities. The site has reverted to being solely part of the indigenous village's land, without any aviation function.

Aldeia Kremoro Airport was a remote dirt airstrip whose significance was twofold. Officially and originally, it likely served as a vital link for the Kayapó indigenous community of Aldeia Kremoro, enabling access for healthcare services (medical evacuations), government agencies like FUNAI (National Indian Foundation), and the transport of essential goods to a location inaccessible by road. However, due to its strategic location in a gold-rich region, it was heavily co-opted for illicit activities. Operations were limited to small, rugged, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, such as the Cessna 206, capable of handling unprepared runways. The airstrip exemplifies the complex relationship between remote Amazonian communities, essential access, and the pervasive influence of illegal mining.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Aldeia Kremoro Airport. Given its history as an illegal airstrip used for environmental crime, any official reopening is virtually impossible. The current Brazilian government policy is focused on removing, not legitimizing, such infrastructure within protected indigenous territories. For the airstrip to be reactivated, it would require a complete reversal of national policy regarding mining on indigenous lands and a complex, expensive, and highly improbable legalization process involving ANAC, FUNAI, and environmental agencies.