Zitácuaro, MX 🇲🇽 Closed Airport
MX-0257
-
6265 ft
MX-MIC
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 19.47655° N, -100.4332° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: PIO MMHZ
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| Designation | Length | Width | Surface | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
09/27 |
4921 ft | - ft | Earth | Active |
| Type | Description | Frequency |
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Circa 2010-2011. While an exact date is not officially recorded, the airport ceased operations in the early 2010s. Major construction projects on the former airport grounds, such as the 'Unidad Deportiva La Joya', were initiated by the municipal government around 2012, indicating the airport was definitively closed by that time.
Urban expansion and land repurposing. The primary reason for the closure was economic and developmental. As the city of Zitácuaro expanded, the airport became surrounded by urban areas, making its operations less practical and the land highly valuable for other uses. The municipal government acquired the land to develop public infrastructure to serve the growing population.
The site has been completely and permanently redeveloped. The former runway and airport facilities have been replaced by several major civil projects. The land is now occupied by:
1. **Unidad Deportiva 'La Joya'**: A large public sports complex with soccer fields, a running track, and other recreational facilities.
2. **Fraccionamiento El Pinocho**: A residential housing development.
3. **Fiscalía General del Estado de Michoacán**: The regional office for the state's Attorney General is built on the property.
4. **Associated roads and public infrastructure** to support these developments.
El Pinocho Airport was a small but locally important general aviation airfield (aeródromo). It did not handle scheduled commercial flights from major airlines. Its primary function was to serve private aircraft, air taxi services, and business aviation for the region. It was significant for local commerce, agriculture (potentially for crop dusting), and providing rapid access for business owners and politicians. It also played a minor role in tourism, offering a landing strip for private visitors to the nearby Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Its existence provided a vital, albeit limited, air link for a region otherwise reliant on ground transportation.
None. There is zero prospect of reopening El Pinocho Airport at its original location. The land has been irreversibly repurposed with permanent, large-scale construction. Any future plans for an airport in the Zitácuaro area would require the acquisition of a new site far from the current urban center. While local business and political leaders occasionally mention the desirability of renewed air access for the region, there are no active, funded, or concrete plans to build a replacement airport.