Tripuí Airport

Replacement and Economic Development. The small Tripuí airfield was incapable of handling the larger jet aircraft (like the Boeing 727 and DC-9) required for the major tourism development plan initiated by Mexico's National Fund for Tourism Development (FONATUR). A new, modern airport was built a few kilometers north to support the planned influx of international tourists, rendering Tripuí obsolete.

The airport is permanently closed and in a state of dereliction. The runway and taxiways are still clearly visible on satellite imagery but are cracked, weathered, and overgrown in places. The site is not officially used for any purpose, though it is sometimes used unofficially and illegally by locals for activities like driving practice or drag racing. The land is adjacent to the Loreto Bay/Nopoló golf and resort development, making the real estate valuable.

Tripuí Airport was the original airfield for Loreto, serving as the primary air link for what was then a small fishing village. It was crucial for connecting the remote town to the rest of Mexico and catered to general aviation, private pilots, and small commercial propeller aircraft, such as DC-3s operated by airlines like Aeronaves de México (the predecessor to Aeroméxico). It played a vital role in the early tourism and sportfishing scene before the large-scale FONATUR development transformed the region.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen Tripuí Airport. Its proximity to the modern and fully operational Loreto International Airport (MMLT) makes its reactivation as an airfield redundant and economically unviable. The land is considered more valuable for potential real estate or commercial development, given its prime location next to existing tourist infrastructure.