Río Bravo, MX 🇲🇽 Closed Airport
MX-2287
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101 ft
MX-TAM
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 25.96139° N, -98.0138° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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The exact closure date is not officially documented in public records. Analysis of historical satellite imagery suggests the airstrip fell into disuse and ceased being maintained for aviation purposes sometime between the mid-2000s and early 2010s. By the mid-2010s, it was widely listed as 'Closed' in unofficial aviation databases.
There was no single catastrophic event or official decree that led to the closure. It was likely a gradual phasing out due to a combination of factors:
1. **Economic Reasons:** The cost of maintaining a runway, even a simple dirt or gravel one, was likely deemed no longer justifiable for its limited use.
2. **Obsolescence:** The primary functions of the airstrip, such as crop dusting and aerial surveying for agricultural experiments, can now be performed more efficiently and cheaply by modern technologies like GPS-guided ground equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).
3. **Reduced Necessity:** Improved road infrastructure in the region reduced the need for air transport for personnel or light cargo.
The site remains an active and important agricultural research facility, the 'Campo Experimental Río Bravo'. The physical runway is still clearly visible from satellite view as a long, unpaved north-south track. However, it is no longer maintained for aviation. It is overgrown with vegetation in some areas and shows tracks from ground vehicles, indicating it is now used as an access road for farm equipment to move between experimental fields. The land has not been repurposed, but its aviation infrastructure is defunct.
The airstrip's significance was entirely functional and directly linked to the 'Campo Experimental Río Bravo' (Río Bravo Experimental Field), a major agricultural research station operated by Mexico's National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP). It was a private, special-use airfield, not a public or commercial airport. Its operations were limited to supporting the research station's activities, which included:
- Flights for crop dusting and experimental pesticide/fertilizer application.
- Aerial photography and surveying of experimental plots.
- Transportation for visiting scientists, officials, and specialized, time-sensitive equipment to the facility.
There are no known plans, discussions, or prospects for reopening the Campo Experimental Río Bravo Airstrip. Given that its original purpose is now better served by more modern and cost-effective technologies, and considering the cost that would be required to restore it to a safe operational standard, it is extremely unlikely that the airstrip will ever be reactivated for aviation use.
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