El Camaron Airstrip

The official reason for the closure is not publicly documented, as is common for small, private airstrips. However, the closure is likely due to one or a combination of the following factors:

1. **Economic Abandonment:** The owner may have ceased operations due to the high cost of maintenance, a lack of need for the airstrip, or the sale of the surrounding property. This is the most common reason for small general aviation fields to close.
2. **Security Concerns and Illicit Activity:** The state of Tamaulipas is a high-risk area with a significant presence of organized crime, which frequently uses clandestine or private airstrips for illegal logistics (narco-trafficking). The Mexican military (SEDENA) and Navy (SEMAR) actively monitor and disable such airstrips. The owner may have abandoned the field to avoid scrutiny or association with illicit activities, or it may have been informally forced to close by authorities without being physically destroyed (e.g., by digging trenches across it).

As of the latest satellite imagery, the site is **abandoned and non-operational**. The outline of the dirt runway is still clearly visible from the air, but it is heavily overgrown with vegetation and shows no signs of recent maintenance or use. The land is effectively reverting to the surrounding scrub and agricultural landscape. There is no evidence of the site being repurposed for other construction or activities.

El Camaron Airstrip had no major historical significance in a national or commercial context. Its importance was purely local and private.

- **Type of Operation:** It served as a private general aviation facility.
- **Aircraft Handled:** With a dirt/gravel runway approximately 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) long, it was suitable for light, single-engine and twin-engine propeller aircraft, such as Cessna 172s/206s, Piper PA-28s/PA-34s, and other bush/utility planes.
- **Purpose:** Operations likely included personal and business travel for local ranch owners or agricultural enterprises, and potentially agricultural aviation (crop dusting), which is common in the region. It never hosted scheduled commercial passenger or cargo flights.

**Effectively zero.** There are no known plans, discussions, or proposals to reopen El Camaron Airstrip. The significant cost to clear, regrade, and certify the runway, combined with the extremely challenging security environment in Tamaulipas, makes any investment highly improbable. Obtaining the necessary permits from Mexican aviation authorities (AFAC) for a private airstrip in this region would be exceptionally difficult due to the intense federal scrutiny aimed at curbing illicit aviation.