Aeródromo Pochutla

The primary reason for its closure was economic and logistical obsolescence. The opening of the much larger and more modern Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX), located approximately 40 km to the east, rendered the small Pochutla airstrip redundant. HUX was built to handle larger jet aircraft and accommodate the significant increase in international tourism driven by FONATUR's (National Fund for Tourism Development) large-scale development of Huatulco. The small, unpaved Pochutla strip could not compete and was no longer necessary.

The site of the former airfield has been completely redeveloped and is unrecognizable as an airport. The most prominent current use is as a major base for the Mexican National Guard (Guardia Nacional). Satellite imagery clearly shows the National Guard barracks, vehicle depots, parade grounds, and administrative buildings constructed directly over the former runway and airfield grounds. The runway is no longer intact or usable, and surrounding areas have also been absorbed by urban growth.

Prior to the development of Huatulco's international airport, Aeródromo Pochutla was a vital transportation link for the coastal region, including the towns of San Pedro Pochutla, Puerto Ángel, and the then-nascent tourist destinations of Zipolite and Mazunte. It primarily handled general aviation, air taxi services, and small charter flights using light aircraft (e.g., Cessna, Piper). For decades, it was one of the fastest ways to access this relatively isolated part of the Oaxacan coast from larger cities like Oaxaca City and Mexico City, playing a crucial role in the area's early tourism, commerce, and emergency medical transport.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening the airfield. A reopening is considered virtually impossible due to several definitive factors:
1. **Land Use:** The land is now occupied by a permanent, strategic federal security installation (the National Guard base), which would not be relocated.
2. **Economic Redundancy:** The proximity and full operational capacity of the Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX) make a second, smaller airport in Pochutla economically unviable and unnecessary.
3. **Urban Encroachment:** The original airfield footprint has been irreversibly altered and partially absorbed by other structures and urban development.