El Norte Airport

No official reason for the closure is publicly documented. However, the most probable cause is economic abandonment. Small, private airstrips of this nature, with unpaved runways, often cease operations when they are no longer economically viable or necessary for the owner. Factors could include the high cost of maintenance, the owner ceasing the business that required the strip (such as logging or ranching), or improved ground transportation rendering the airstrip obsolete.

The site is completely abandoned and is no longer used for any aviation activities. Satellite imagery shows the faint, overgrown outline of the former dirt runway. The land appears to have been reclaimed by nature and is now part of the surrounding undeveloped, semi-arid landscape, likely used for grazing or agriculture. There are no remaining buildings, hangars, or any other airport infrastructure at the location.

El Norte Airport was a small, private utility airstrip. Its primary role was to support local general aviation in a relatively remote, mountainous region. With a short, 500-meter (1,640 ft) dirt runway, it would have exclusively handled small, single-engine aircraft like Cessnas or Pipers. Operations were likely tied to the primary industries of Madera, which is a major center for logging (Madera is Spanish for 'wood') and agriculture. The airstrip would have provided air access for local business owners, ranchers, and potentially for transporting light cargo or personnel, which was crucial before the full development of road infrastructure in the Sierra Tarahumara.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening El Norte Airport. The aviation needs of Madera are served by the much larger and better-equipped Capitán Piloto Aviador Carlos Rovirosa Pérez Airport (also known as Madera Airport, ICAO: MMMD), which features a paved runway and more substantial facilities. The existence of this superior airport makes the reopening of a small, defunct dirt strip like El Norte both unnecessary and economically unviable.