Banes Airport

The closure was a result of political and economic factors. Initially, the airport lost its primary purpose after the 1959 revolution nationalized the assets of the United Fruit Company, its builder and operator. The subsequent decline of the Cuban economy, especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, made the operation and maintenance of small, regional airfields like Banes economically unviable. Air services were consolidated to larger, more central airports like Frank País Airport in Holguín.

The airport is permanently closed and in a state of ruin. High-resolution satellite imagery shows that the single asphalt runway is still clearly identifiable but is severely deteriorated, with significant cracking, vegetation overgrowth, and encroachment. Portions of the runway are being used as an access road and for industrial open-air storage by an adjacent facility, with large piles of what appears to be sand or aggregate material located directly on the tarmac. No original airport buildings appear to be in use, and the site is completely unsuitable for any aviation operations.

Banes Airport was built and operated by the American-owned United Fruit Company, which ran a massive sugar and banana plantation operation and had its Cuban headquarters in Banes. The airport was a critical piece of private infrastructure for the company, used to transport executives, important personnel, payroll, mail, and high-value, time-sensitive cargo. It was a symbol of the company's extensive, self-sufficient empire within Cuba before the revolution. After being taken over by the Cuban government, it may have been used for a time for domestic passenger flights (e.g., by Aerotaxi) or for agricultural aviation, such as crop-dusting the vast sugarcane fields in the region.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen Banes Airport. The Holguín province is well-served by the Frank País International Airport (HOG), which handles all regional and international traffic. The significant cost required to rebuild the runway, terminal, and support facilities at Banes, combined with a lack of economic demand, makes any prospect of reopening extremely unlikely.