Santana do Livramento Airport

The closure was primarily due to economic and infrastructural reasons. The airport's runway and facilities were in a state of deterioration, requiring significant investment that was not deemed viable. Furthermore, its close proximity to the larger and better-equipped Rivera International Airport (SURV / RVY) just across the border in Rivera, Uruguay, made it redundant. The two cities form a single conjoined urban area, and maintaining two separate airports was economically inefficient.

The former airport site has been completely de-characterized and redeveloped. The land was sold and urbanized, and is now a residential and commercial neighborhood called 'Parque do Sol'. New streets, houses, businesses, and public spaces have been constructed directly over the old runway and apron areas. No trace of the original airport infrastructure remains.

Historically, the airport was identified by the ICAO code SSDM and the IATA code LVF. It served as an important regional airport for the Brazilian side of the border. It handled scheduled domestic passenger flights, most notably operated by Rio-Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais (a subsidiary of VARIG), which connected Santana do Livramento with the state capital, Porto Alegre, and other regional destinations. The airport was also used for general aviation, air taxi services, and was vital for the local agricultural and business sectors, providing a crucial air link for a remote border region.

There are zero prospects for reopening this airport. The focus has shifted entirely to a binational initiative with Uruguay. The governments of Brazil and Uruguay have designated the nearby Rivera International Airport (SURV) as the first 'Binational Airport' in the world. This project involves modernizing the Rivera airport and granting it a special status where flights to and from Brazil are treated as domestic operations. This eliminates the need for a separate airport on the Brazilian side and is expected to significantly boost regional connectivity and economic development. This binational project renders the old Santana do Livramento airport site permanently obsolete for aviation use.