Puerto Castilla Airport

The primary reason for closure was military conversion. The land, including the airstrip, was repurposed for the construction and operation of the Base Naval de Puerto Castilla (Honduran Naval Base). This was a strategic military facility, established with U.S. assistance during the Cold War, to serve as a regional training center and a base for maritime security and counter-insurgency operations in the Caribbean.

The site of the former airport is now completely integrated into the active Base Naval de Puerto Castilla. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (16.008354, -85.968149) clearly shows the faint outline of the original runway. However, it is no longer maintained for aviation. The area is overgrown in parts and is used by the Honduran Navy for vehicle parking, equipment storage, troop drills, and as general-purpose land within the secure military perimeter. The site is an active military installation and is not accessible to the public.

The airport was originally built and operated by the Standard Fruit Company (a predecessor to Dole Food Company). It was a crucial piece of private infrastructure supporting the company's vast banana and pineapple plantation operations in the Aguán Valley. The airfield handled corporate executive transport, movement of essential personnel and equipment, and likely served as a base for agricultural aircraft (crop dusters). Its existence was emblematic of the era when powerful multinational fruit companies built and controlled their own transportation networks in Central America. The ICAO code HN-0029 is a non-standard, local identifier, as the airport was never a public international facility.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport for civilian or commercial use. The site is occupied by a strategic and active naval base, making its conversion back to a public airport functionally impossible. The region's aviation needs are adequately served by the nearby Trujillo Airport (IATA: TJI, ICAO: MHTJ), which is located approximately 10 km to the west.