El Salar Airport

The airport was rendered obsolete and redundant by the construction and opening of the modern, paved San Felipe International Airport located a few kilometers to the south. The new airport provided superior facilities, a paved all-weather runway, lighting, and instrument approach capabilities that the rudimentary salt flat airstrip could not offer, making it the logical replacement for all commercial and most general aviation traffic.

The site is no longer used for aviation and is not maintained as an airfield. The former runway has been repurposed as a popular venue for motorsports, particularly drag racing and land speed record attempts. It is commonly known as the 'Salar de San Felipe' or 'Laguna Salada' racetrack. Markings for a drag strip are clearly visible on satellite imagery of the old runway surface. The site is especially active during major off-road racing events in Baja California, such as the SCORE Baja 250/500/1000, where it often hosts official race sections or serves as a gathering point for teams and spectators.

Before the construction of MMSF, El Salar Airport was the primary air access to the town of San Felipe. It was a critical piece of infrastructure for the region's burgeoning tourism industry, especially popular with American private pilots flying small aircraft from California and Arizona for fishing and vacations. The airport consisted of a long, unpaved runway marked on the surface of the vast Laguna Salada (the salt flat from which it gets its name). Operations were strictly VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and highly dependent on the weather and the condition of the dry lake bed, which could become unusable after rains. It primarily handled general aviation and charter flights.

Extremely low to none. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening El Salar Airport for aviation purposes. The community's aviation needs are fully and more safely met by the San Felipe International Airport (MMSF). The site's established use as a motorsports venue and the likely degradation of the surface make its conversion back to a functional, safe airport both unnecessary and economically unfeasible.