Suia-Missu Airport

Land Restitution to Indigenous People. The airport was the private airstrip for the Fazenda Suiá-Missu, a massive cattle ranch. The land on which the ranch and airport were built was legally recognized as the Marãiwatsédé Indigenous Territory, belonging to the Xavante people. After a prolonged legal battle, the Brazilian government enforced the demarcation of the territory, evicting the ranchers and dismantling their infrastructure, including the airport, to return the land to its rightful indigenous owners.

The site is now part of the officially demarcated and protected Marãiwatsédé Indigenous Territory. The physical airstrip is defunct, unmaintained, and is being reclaimed by nature as the savanna ecosystem recovers. The entire area is under the stewardship of the Xavante community, with support from Brazilian government agencies like FUNAI (National Indian Foundation) and IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) for environmental and cultural restoration projects.

The airport was a critical piece of infrastructure for the Fazenda Suiá-Missu, which at its peak was considered the largest cattle ranch (latifúndio) in the world. Established during Brazil's military dictatorship, the ranch was a symbol of the government's policy of 'occupying' the Amazon for agribusiness. The airport served as a private hub for the ranch's owners (originally the Italian company Liquigás, a subsidiary of ENI, and later Brazilian investors), facilitating the transport of executives, personnel, high-value equipment, and supplies to the remote location. It was a symbol of the economic power and logistical capability of the enterprise that had displaced the native Xavante population.

None. There are absolutely no plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been permanently and legally returned to the Xavante people. Re-establishing an airport, a symbol of their historical dispossession, is not a consideration. The focus of the indigenous community and supporting agencies is on ecological regeneration and the strengthening of Xavante culture and self-sustainability on their ancestral land.