Venecia Airstrip

The closure was most likely due to economic reasons and a cessation of its primary function. As a small, private airstrip located in a major agricultural area, its purpose was almost certainly to support aerial fumigation (crop dusting). The closure is likely attributable to the consolidation of farming operations, a change in ownership, the high cost of maintenance, or a shift away from the need for a dedicated local strip. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a major accident or for military conversion.

The site is currently abandoned. The outline of the unpaved or deteriorated asphalt runway is still clearly visible from the air, but it is overgrown with desert vegetation and is unusable for aircraft. A dirt road or track now cuts across the southern portion of the former runway. The land immediately surrounding the strip remains in active agricultural use, but the airstrip itself is fallow and unused. There are no remaining airport structures like hangars or terminal buildings on the site.

Venecia Airstrip's significance was purely local and tied to the agricultural industry of the Empalme-Guaymas valley. It served as a private 'ag-strip' for crop-dusting aircraft, such as Piper Pawnees or Air Tractors, to take off and land close to the fields they were servicing. It may have also been used by light private aircraft for the farm owners or local businesses. It never handled commercial passenger traffic or had significant military importance. The identifier MX-1448 is a national, non-standard code assigned by Mexican authorities to small airfields, underscoring its status as a minor, private facility.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Venecia Airstrip. Its proximity to the much larger and fully operational General José María Yáñez International Airport (IATA: GYM, ICAO: MMGM) in nearby Guaymas, approximately 15 km to the west, makes the reopening of this small strip economically unviable for any public or significant private use. The land is more likely to be eventually repurposed for agricultural expansion.