Rancho San Francisco Airport

The airport was a private airstrip (aeródromo). The closure was not due to a single major event like an accident or military conversion. The most probable reason is economic and logistical; the owner of the ranch likely no longer had the need or the financial means to maintain and operate a private airfield. Such closures are common for private strips when the property changes hands or the owner's transportation needs change.

The site is completely abandoned. Satellite imagery confirms the location contains the faint, deteriorating outline of a single dirt runway, approximately 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) in length. The runway is unmaintained, overgrown with desert scrub, and unusable for aviation. There are no visible buildings, hangars, or any other airport infrastructure remaining. The land has effectively been reclaimed by the surrounding arid environment and is part of the private ranch property.

Rancho San Francisco Airport was a private airfield serving the needs of a large, remote ranch, likely the 'Rancho San Francisco' itself. Its significance was purely local and private. Operations would have consisted of general aviation aircraft—likely single-engine or light twin-engine propeller planes (e.g., Cessna, Piper). These aircraft would have been used to transport the ranch owners, personnel, visitors, and high-value supplies or equipment, bypassing the often difficult or time-consuming ground transportation in the rural Chihuahua region. It may have also supported agricultural aviation activities like crop dusting.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Rancho San Francisco Airport. Given its status as a private, abandoned airstrip in a remote location, significant investment would be required to clear, grade, and certify the runway for use again. Without a compelling economic or private need, a reopening is considered highly unlikely.