Guaicanamar Agricultural Airfield

The closure was a direct result of economic factors. Guaicanamar was an agricultural airfield, and its existence was tied to Cuba's large-scale, state-run sugar and rice industries. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended crucial subsidies, leading to severe shortages of fuel, aircraft spare parts (mostly for Soviet-made Antonov An-2s), and agrochemicals. This, combined with the decline of the sugar industry, decimated Cuba's agricultural aviation fleet, operated by the Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aéreos (ENSA). With no planes to fly and reduced demand for crop dusting, hundreds of specialized airfields like Guaicanamar became obsolete and were abandoned.

The airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of ruin. Analysis of satellite imagery shows the single asphalt runway is severely degraded, cracked, and extensively overgrown with grass and shrubs, making it unusable for any type of aircraft. The land is being reclaimed by the surrounding environment and appears to be used informally as pasture for livestock or for local transit via dirt tracks that now cross the former runway. Any support structures or buildings associated with the airfield are likely derelict or have been repurposed for farm use.

Guaicanamar Agricultural Airfield's significance was purely logistical and local. It was one of over 200 similar airstrips that formed a critical infrastructure network for Cuba's collectivized agriculture during the second half of the 20th century. Its primary function was to support aerial application (crop dusting and spraying) for the vast sugarcane and rice plantations in the municipality of Santa Cruz del Sur, Camagüey province. Operations would have consisted almost exclusively of rugged agricultural aircraft, such as the Antonov An-2 biplane, taking off and landing for short-range missions over the surrounding fields. It had no scheduled passenger service, military role, or strategic importance beyond its agricultural support function.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen the Guaicanamar airfield. The economic and agricultural models that necessitated its existence have not returned. Cuba's agricultural aviation capacity remains a small fraction of its historical peak, and there is no economic incentive to invest the significant capital required to restore the runway and facilities for a purpose that has very limited demand. The prospect of reopening is virtually zero.