Cerro Prieto Airport

Linares, MX 🇲🇽 Closed Airport

ICAO

MX-1954

IATA

-

Elevation

923 ft

Region

MX-NLE

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 24.91241° N, -99.38997° E

Continent: NA

Type: Closed Airport

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 25, 2025
Closure Date

The exact official date of closure is not publicly documented. However, analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates that aviation operations likely ceased in the late 2000s or early 2010s. By 2013, the runway had been clearly repurposed with markings for motorsports, confirming its closure as an aviation facility by that time.

Reason for Closure

The closure was almost certainly due to economic reasons. As a small airfield without scheduled commercial traffic, its operational costs likely outweighed its revenue. The land became more valuable for alternative commercial uses. There is no evidence to suggest the closure was due to a major accident, military conversion, or regulatory action. The transition to a private racetrack indicates a deliberate business decision to repurpose the asset.

Current Status

The site has been completely repurposed and is no longer used for aviation. The former runway is now a private racetrack and drag strip, often referred to as 'Pista Cerro Prieto' or 'Autódromo Cerro Prieto Linares'. It is actively used for amateur and semi-professional drag racing and other motorsport events, with clear markings for a 1/4-mile track painted on the asphalt. The surrounding area has also seen development, including the construction of a large solar farm adjacent to the former airport property, further cementing the land's shift away from aviation.

Historical Significance

Cerro Prieto Airport was a local, general aviation airfield serving the municipality of Linares, Nuevo León. It never had scheduled commercial passenger service, hence the lack of an IATA code. Its primary role was to support private aviation, including flights for local business owners, ranchers, and agricultural operations (such as crop dusting). It featured a single asphalt runway (approximately 1,500 meters / 4,900 feet long), which was suitable for light to medium-sized private aircraft. Its significance was confined to the local level, providing a vital link for private air transport and agricultural services in the region before its closure.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The significant physical alterations to the runway for its use as a racetrack, combined with its current, active commercial operation as a motorsport venue, make a return to aviation functionally and financially unfeasible. The infrastructure is no longer maintained to aviation standards, and the investment to revert it would be substantial. The land's current use is established and appears to be permanent.

Nearby Airports

El Toreo (Las Parras) Airport
MX-1955
Linares, MX
Closed Airport
~11 km away
Presa El Cinco Airport
MX-1953
Linares, MX
Closed Airport
~11 km away
El Naranjo Airfield
MX-1038
Montemorelos, MX
Closed Airport
~14 km away
Río Verde (Lampazos) Airport
MX-1944
Linares, MX
Closed Airport
~15 km away
Linares Civil Airport (under construction)
MX-1956
Linares, MX
Closed Airport
~17 km away
Sotolar Airport
MX-0615
Linares, MX
Small Airport
~23 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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