Gente Grande Airport

The primary reason for closure was redundancy and logistical obsolescence. The newer Porvenir Airport (ICAO: SCPV) was built immediately adjacent to the town of Porvenir, making it far more practical for passengers, cargo, and general operations. Gente Grande Airport, located approximately 25-30 kilometers north of the town in a more remote area, became economically and functionally unviable to maintain once the new facility was established.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of decay. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (-53.064, -70.26) shows a clearly visible but unmaintained dirt or gravel runway. The strip is being slowly reclaimed by the natural Patagonian steppe vegetation. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or any signs of current aviation activity. The land is unused and has returned to its rural state.

Gente Grande Airport was likely a private or industrial airstrip established to serve the specific needs of the region before modern infrastructure was fully developed. Its operations were probably linked to two main activities:
1. **Estancia Operations:** It likely served the large and historically significant 'Estancia Gente Grande', a massive sheep ranch, for transporting personnel, supplies, and products.
2. **Industrial Support:** The airstrip was crucial for supporting early oil and gas exploration and extraction activities in the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego, which began in the 1940s. Companies like the state-owned ENAP (Empresa Nacional del Petróleo) relied on such airfields for logistical support in the remote Patagonian landscape. It represented an early, vital link for the industrial and agricultural development of the island.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Gente Grande Airport. The aviation needs of the town of Porvenir and the immediate region are adequately served by Porvenir Airport (SCPV). Furthermore, the main regional air hub, Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (SCCI) in Punta Arenas, provides robust connections for the entire Magallanes Region. Reinvesting in the remote and dilapidated Gente Grande site would have no economic or logistical justification.