San Fernando Airstrip

Economic abandonment. This type of remote, unimproved airstrip was typically built as a private field to support a specific industry, most commonly oil and gas exploration, logging, or large-scale agriculture in the Petén department. The closure was almost certainly due to the cessation of the economic activity it was built to support, making it obsolete. There is no evidence of closure due to a major accident or military conversion.

The site is completely abandoned and non-operational. Current satellite imagery shows a single dirt runway that is severely overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees. The surrounding jungle is actively reclaiming the cleared area. The runway is indistinct and entirely unusable for any aviation purposes. There are no remaining structures such as hangars or terminal buildings.

The San Fernando Airstrip was a utilitarian airfield, significant only on a local, logistical level. Its purpose was to provide air access to a remote area lacking reliable road infrastructure. Operations would have been limited to light general aviation aircraft, such as Cessna or Pilatus Porter types, used for transporting personnel, supplies, and equipment for the company that operated it. It was part of a larger network of similar small airstrips that were crucial for the economic exploration and development of the vast Petén region during the mid-to-late 20th century. It was never a public airport for commercial passenger traffic.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to rehabilitate or reopen the San Fernando Airstrip. Given its remote location, the advanced state of decay, the high cost of restoration, and the likely absence of any current economic driver for an airfield at this specific site, the prospects for reopening are effectively zero.