Sonoyta Airport

The closure was likely due to a combination of obsolescence and abandonment. The airport was a basic, unpaved dirt strip with no significant infrastructure. Its operations were likely superseded by the newer, paved Sonoyta East Airport (ICAO: MMSL), located just a few kilometers to the southeast. With a superior facility available nearby, this smaller, less-equipped field became redundant and was no longer maintained. Another contributing factor for the closure of unmonitored airstrips in this border region is often pressure from Mexican and U.S. authorities to prevent their use for illicit activities, such as smuggling.

The site is completely abandoned and unusable as an airport. Current satellite imagery shows the faint outline of the former north-south runway, but it is heavily eroded, washed out, and overgrown with desert vegetation. The area is crisscrossed by informal vehicle tracks. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or any aviation-related infrastructure on the site. It has reverted to undeveloped desert land.

Sonoyta Airport (MX-1185) was a small, rudimentary airfield. Its operations were limited to general aviation. It likely served private pilots, local agricultural needs (such as crop dusting), and transportation for area ranches or businesses. Due to its unpaved runway and lack of facilities like a terminal or hangars, it never handled commercial passenger flights, significant cargo, or major military operations. Its historical significance was purely local, providing basic air access to a remote area before the development of the more modern MMSL airport.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening this airport. Given its degraded state and the existence of the active, paved Sonoyta East Airport (MMSL) nearby, there is no economic or logistical incentive to restore this abandoned dirt strip. The cost of restoration would be prohibitive for a redundant facility, making its reopening highly improbable.