Palanganas Airport

Military Conversion. The existing airstrip was absorbed and massively expanded by the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) to become a core part of a new, large-scale military facility. The civilian airport effectively ceased to exist as it was integrated into this new complex.

The site is now the location of the highly active and strategically important Base Aérea Militar No. 11 (BAM-11) Santa Gertrudis (new ICAO: MMSG). This airbase is the aviation component of the 'Centro Nacional de Adiestramiento' (National Training Center) for the Mexican Army and Air Force. It is one of the largest and most important military training facilities in Latin America, featuring multiple long runways, extensive training grounds, and modern infrastructure used for large-scale joint military exercises.

Prior to its military conversion, Palanganas Airport was a small, rural airstrip serving the municipality of Ignacio Zaragoza in Chihuahua. Its operations were limited to general aviation, primarily supporting local agricultural, ranching, and possibly mining activities. It handled small, private propeller aircraft and provided essential air access to a remote region, but it did not host any scheduled commercial passenger or cargo flights.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airport to civilian traffic. Its current function as a critical national security and military training installation precludes any possibility of returning it to public or private civilian use in the foreseeable future.