La Tinaja Airport

The closure was most likely due to economic reasons and abandonment. As a private rural airstrip, its existence depended on the entity that used and maintained it, presumably a large local ranch or business. The cessation of operations, a change in land ownership, or the owner no longer finding it financially viable to maintain a private runway are the most probable causes for its abandonment. There is no evidence of closure due to a specific accident, environmental issue, or military conversion.

The site is an abandoned and unmaintained airstrip. Satellite imagery shows the dirt runway is still visible but is heavily eroded and being reclaimed by desert vegetation. It is completely unusable for aviation. There are no buildings, hangars, or other infrastructure at the site. The land has effectively reverted to unused rangeland.

La Tinaja Airport was a private, rural dirt airstrip (aeródromo) serving the extremely remote and sparsely populated region of Manuel Benavides. Its primary purpose was to support general aviation for the large cattle ranches that dominate the area. The 4,900-foot runway could accommodate single and twin-engine propeller aircraft, which were used to transport personnel, high-value supplies, veterinarians, or potential buyers to and from ranches that were otherwise accessible only by long drives on unpaved roads. It was never a public airport and did not handle commercial or scheduled flights.

There are no known or published plans to reopen or redevelop La Tinaja Airport. Given its remote location, the high cost of restoring and maintaining even a basic airstrip, and the lack of any new major economic driver in the immediate vicinity, the prospects for its reopening are virtually non-existent.