Sierra El Pino Airport

Guadalupe, MX 🇲🇽 Closed Airport

ICAO

MX-2046

IATA

-

Elevation

4411 ft

Region

MX-CHH

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 30.44113° N, -105.30398° 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.

External Links

Nearby Points of Interest

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 26, 2025
Closure Date

The exact date is undocumented as this was likely a private or unauthorized airstrip. Analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates the airstrip was clearly defined and likely active in the early 2000s. It appears to have fallen into disuse and became visibly degraded sometime between 2010 and 2015. As of the latest imagery, it is completely abandoned.

Reason for Closure

No official reason for closure has been published. However, evidence points towards abandonment rather than a formal closure. The most probable reasons include:
1. **Cessation of Private Operations:** The airstrip was likely built to support a specific private enterprise, such as a large ranch (for transport and crop-dusting), or a mining/exploration operation in the remote Sierra. The closure of this business would have rendered the airstrip obsolete.
2. **Economic Factors:** The cost of maintaining even a basic dirt runway became unviable for its owner/operator.
3. **Illicit Activity Interdiction:** The state of Chihuahua is a major corridor for drug trafficking. Airstrips of this nature are frequently used by cartels for smuggling operations. It is possible the airstrip was discovered by Mexican authorities (like the military, SEDENA) and its use was discontinued to avoid interdiction, or it was forcibly rendered unusable, though visible signs of destruction like trenching are not apparent in recent imagery.

Current Status

The site is completely abandoned and defunct. High-resolution satellite imagery confirms the presence of a weathered and eroded dirt runway, which is now unusable for any type of aircraft. There are no buildings, hangars, fuel depots, or any other aviation-related infrastructure at the location. The airstrip exists only as a visible scar on the landscape, slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert environment.

Historical Significance

The airport holds no major historical significance in terms of commercial or military aviation. It was a small, rudimentary dirt airstrip located in a remote, sparsely populated area. Its operations would have been limited to small, light aircraft (such as Cessna or Piper models) capable of landing on short, unprepared surfaces. The primary function was likely logistical support for local, private activities: transporting personnel and supplies for agriculture, ranching, or mining. Its existence is representative of the many private-use airfields built across rural Mexico to support industry in areas with limited road infrastructure.

Reopening Prospects

There are zero known plans or prospects for reopening Sierra El Pino Airport. Its remote location, complete lack of infrastructure, and the absence of any new economic driver in the immediate vicinity make its reactivation commercially and logistically unfeasible. Furthermore, given the security situation in the region, any attempt to reactivate the airstrip, officially or unofficially, would almost certainly attract immediate and significant scrutiny from Mexican military and federal law enforcement agencies.

Nearby Airports

La Franja Airport
MX-2045
Guadalupe, MX
Closed Airport
~3 km away
Rancho San Francisco Airport
MX-2047
Guadalupe, MX
Closed Airport
~13 km away
Rancho Palomino Airport
MX-1923
Guadalupe, MX
Closed Airport
~14 km away
El Coyote Airport
MX-1924
Coyame del Sotol, MX
Closed Airport
~18 km away
El Cuervo Airport
MX-1925
Coyame del Sotol, MX
Closed Airport
~28 km away
Arroyo Cerro Bola Airport
MX-1741
Guadalupe, MX
Closed Airport
~32 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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