Camino Rojo Airport

The airport was closed for economic and logistical reasons directly related to the expansion of the Camino Rojo Mine. The physical location of the airstrip (MX-2197) was situated directly on top of the ore body and within the planned footprint of the new, large-scale open-pit mine and its associated waste rock storage facilities. To develop the mine as planned, the airport had to be decommissioned and removed.

The site of the former Camino Rojo Airport (MX-2197) is no longer an airport. It has been completely subsumed by the active mining operations of the Orla Mining Camino Rojo Mine. Satellite imagery confirms that the runway and surrounding facilities have been excavated and are now part of the open pit and waste rock dumps. The site is an active industrial mining zone and is completely unrecognizable as a former airfield.

Camino Rojo Airport was a private airfield with no public access or scheduled commercial flights. Its sole purpose was to support the logistics of the Camino Rojo mining project, which was previously owned by Goldcorp. The airport was critical for:
- **Fly-In/Fly-Out (FIFO) Operations:** Transporting specialized personnel, including geologists, engineers, executives, and contractors, to and from the remote mine site.
- **Urgent Cargo:** Facilitating the rapid transport of critical spare parts, equipment, and high-value materials (like gold dore samples for assaying).
- **Emergency Services:** Serving as a potential point for medical evacuations.
The runway was approximately 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) long with an asphalt surface, capable of handling turboprop aircraft (like the King Air or Dash 8) and mid-size business jets (like Gulfstream or Citation models) commonly used in corporate and mining aviation.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original Camino Rojo Airport at its specified coordinates, as the site has been physically destroyed by mining. However, the airport's function has been replaced. Orla Mining constructed a **new, replacement airstrip** to continue supporting the mine's logistical needs. This new private airport is located approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to the northeast of the old site, safely away from the current and future mining footprint. Therefore, while MX-2197 is permanently closed, air operations for the mine continue from a new, nearby facility.