Puná Airport

The closure was due to economic factors and obsolescence. The primary reasons include:
1. **Economic Non-viability:** The demand for air travel to the small island community was insufficient to sustain the operational and maintenance costs of the airfield, even for small charter operations.
2. **Improved Maritime Transport:** More reliable, frequent, and cost-effective ferry and boat services to the mainland (primarily from Guayaquil and the nearby port of Posorja) made air travel a less attractive option for both residents and businesses.
3. **Lack of Infrastructure:** As a basic, unpaved airstrip, it lacked the infrastructure for anything beyond VFR (Visual Flight Rules) operations by small aircraft, limiting its utility and potential for growth.

The site is currently an abandoned and disused airfield. The physical outline of the dirt/grass runway is still clearly visible from satellite imagery, but it is unmaintained, overgrown with vegetation in several areas, and shows no signs of recent aviation activity. The land has not been repurposed or redeveloped for any other use; it simply remains as a relic of its former function.

Puná Airport was a small, local airstrip (aeródromo) crucial for connecting the relatively isolated Puná Island to mainland Ecuador. Its operations were limited but vital for the community it served.
- **Operations Handled:** It exclusively handled general aviation and air taxi services using small, propeller-driven aircraft (e.g., Cessna 206, Piper PA-32) capable of operating from a short, unpaved runway.
- **Purpose:** The airport served several key functions: providing rapid transport for residents, supporting local business activities (notably the island's prominent shrimp farming industry), enabling tourism, and, most critically, facilitating medical evacuations (medevac) in emergencies where boat travel would be too slow.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen or redevelop Puná Airport. The economic case for its revival is weak, as the factors that led to its closure persist. Re-establishing the airport for regular service would require significant investment in runway resurfacing, fencing, and basic facilities, which is not considered a priority given the island's small population and established sea links. It is highly unlikely to be reopened in any official capacity in the foreseeable future.