Punta Santa María Airstrip

Obsolescence and replacement. The primary reason for the closure of Punta Santa María Airstrip was the development of the modern Cabo San Lucas International Airport (CSL) immediately to its west. The new airport featured a 7,000-foot paved runway, instrument approaches, and superior facilities, rendering the short, unpaved dirt strip redundant and operationally incompatible with the new, busier airspace.

The site is abandoned and unused for aviation. As of the latest satellite imagery, the faint outline of the ~2,500-foot dirt runway is still clearly visible. The land is undeveloped and sits as a buffer zone between the active runway of Cabo San Lucas International Airport (CSL) and the Carretera Transpeninsular (Highway 1). There are some vehicle tracks visible, suggesting it may be used for informal ground access or equipment staging, but it is not maintained and is definitively closed to all air traffic.

Punta Santa María Airstrip was a classic example of a 'Baja bush strip' that served Cabo San Lucas during its early development as a remote fishing and tourist destination. Before the construction of major airports, such strips were vital for connecting the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. It primarily handled private, light single-engine and twin-engine aircraft under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Operations were limited to pilots and small charter companies bringing in tourists, fishermen, and supplies. The airstrip represents a bygone era of aviation in Los Cabos before the tourism boom necessitated the large-scale airport infrastructure seen today.

Zero. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Punta Santa María Airstrip. Its immediate proximity to the active runway of CSL would create significant air traffic control conflicts and safety hazards. The land is in a prime real estate area and is more likely to be used for future expansion of the CSL airport or for commercial/industrial development than to be reverted to a rudimentary airstrip.