Tuape Airport

The specific reason for its closure is unknown, which is common for private airstrips of this nature. The closure was most likely due to economic factors. The cost of maintaining a runway, even a dirt one, may have become prohibitive for the private owner(s), or the logistical need for the airstrip may have diminished over time with improvements to local road infrastructure. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a major accident, environmental concerns, or conversion to military use.

The site is currently abandoned. Satellite imagery clearly shows the remnants of a single, unpaved runway. The runway is overgrown and unmaintained, with visible tracks suggesting it is now used informally as a local dirt road by farm vehicles. There are no remaining airport facilities such as hangars, terminals, or navigation equipment. The land appears to have been re-integrated into the surrounding agricultural and ranching properties.

Tuape Airport was a small, private dirt airstrip with local, rather than national, significance. Its ICAO code, MX-1997, is an unofficial identifier used in some databases to catalog minor airstrips in Mexico, not a standard code issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Its primary purpose was to serve the remote agricultural and ranching communities in the municipality of Opodepe, Sonora. Operations would have been limited to general aviation, likely consisting of:
- Private flights for landowners and their families.
- Agricultural aviation (crop dusting and spraying).
- Transport of essential supplies, equipment, and personnel to and from the remote ranches.
- Potential use for emergency medical evacuations.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Tuape Airport. Given its private status, remote location, and complete lack of infrastructure, any effort to reopen it would require significant private investment. Without a compelling new economic or logistical reason for its existence, it is highly unlikely to be reactivated.