Lombillo Agricultural Airfield

The closure was a direct result of severe economic reasons. The airfield was operated by the Cuban state-run agricultural aviation company, Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aéreos (ENSA). After the dissolution of the USSR, Cuba lost its primary economic benefactor, leading to:
1. **Extreme Fuel Shortages:** Aviation fuel became scarce and prohibitively expensive.
2. **Lack of Spare Parts:** The fleet, primarily composed of Soviet-made Antonov An-2 aircraft, could no longer be maintained due to the inability to source spare parts.
3. **Economic Contraction:** The overall Cuban economy contracted sharply, and the government consolidated resources, leading to the abandonment of smaller, specialized infrastructure like agricultural airfields across the country. There was no military conversion or specific accident that caused the closure.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of decay. Satellite imagery confirms that the single asphalt runway is heavily deteriorated, with significant cracking and vegetation growing through the surface. It is no longer suitable for any aviation activity. The runway and associated taxiways are now used informally by locals as an access road for vehicles and farm equipment. Any remaining support buildings, such as hangars or administrative offices, are derelict and likely stripped of valuable materials.

Lombillo Agricultural Airfield was a vital component of Cuba's state-planned agricultural economy, particularly before the 1990s. Its primary role was to serve as a base for agricultural aircraft supporting the vast sugarcane plantations and other crops in the Esmeralda municipality and surrounding Camagüey Province. Operations handled included:
- **Crop Dusting:** Aerial application of pesticides and herbicides.
- **Fertilization:** Spreading fertilizer over large tracts of land.
- **Seeding:** In some cases, aerial seeding of certain crops.
It was part of a nationwide network of dozens of similar small airfields that allowed for efficient agricultural management on a massive scale, using a fleet of robust An-2 biplanes. The airfield represents a now-defunct era of Soviet-supported, large-scale mechanized agriculture in Cuba.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Lombillo Agricultural Airfield. The economic conditions that led to its closure persist, and the cost of rehabilitating the runway and rebuilding infrastructure would be substantial. Furthermore, Cuba's agricultural model has shifted away from the large-scale, resource-intensive aerial support system of the Soviet era. Therefore, the strategic need for such an airfield is virtually non-existent, and its reopening is considered extremely unlikely.