Progreso, MX 🇲🇽 Closed Airport
MX-2269
-
1007 ft
MX-COA
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 27.31151° N, -100.78061° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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The exact closure date is not officially documented in public records. However, the airport was likely abandoned and fell into disuse sometime in the early 2000s, with its official delisting occurring between 2005 and 2012. This period aligns with a major initiative by the Mexican government and military (SEDENA) to identify and disable unmonitored and clandestine airstrips in northern Mexico to prevent their use by drug trafficking organizations.
The closure appears to be a result of two primary factors. First, abandonment by its private owner, likely due to the airstrip no longer being economically viable or necessary for the ranch or business it served. Second, regional security concerns. The heightened security climate in the state of Coahuila during the 2000s led to a crackdown on private airstrips which could be exploited by organized crime. While there is no specific report of this airstrip being used for illicit purposes, its remote location made it a liability, and it was likely officially closed as part of this broader security strategy.
The airport is confirmed to be closed and abandoned. Analysis of recent satellite imagery shows the single runway is still identifiable but is in a severe state of disrepair. The surface is cracked, weathered, and has significant vegetation growing through it, making it completely unusable for aircraft. There are no signs of maintenance or any activity on the site. The land appears to be unused and is slowly being reclaimed by the natural environment.
Palo Blanco Airport was a small, private-use airfield with no commercial service. Its significance was purely local, built to serve a large private ranch or agricultural operation, which is common in remote areas of Mexico. The operations it handled were strictly general aviation, consisting of light, single-engine or twin-engine propeller aircraft. Its purpose was to facilitate private transportation for the property's owners and staff, and potentially to support agricultural activities like crop dusting or the transport of high-value supplies to a location with limited road access.
There are no known plans, proposals, or prospects for reopening Palo Blanco Airport. The significant cost required to restore the runway and any associated facilities, combined with a lack of any apparent economic driver for a private airfield in this specific location, makes reopening highly improbable. Furthermore, any attempt to reactivate a remote airstrip in this region would likely face intense scrutiny and complex permitting requirements from Mexican aviation and security authorities.
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