Cajurichi Airport

Military intervention and destruction. The airstrip was identified as a clandestine (unofficial) runway being used by drug trafficking organizations for logistical operations within Mexico's 'Golden Triangle' (a region spanning parts of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Durango). As part of 'Operación Coordinada Chihuahua' and other nationwide efforts, the Mexican Army systematically located and disabled hundreds of such airstrips by digging deep trenches across the runway, dynamiting the surface, or placing large obstacles to prevent aircraft from landing or taking off.

The airport is abandoned and permanently closed. Satellite imagery confirms the runway is in a state of disrepair and unusable. Faint but visible perpendicular lines across the runway are still evident, likely the remnants of the trenches dug by the military to disable it. The site is being slowly reclaimed by nature, with significant vegetation growth and surface erosion. It serves no current aviation or other official purpose.

Cajurichi Airport was a remote dirt/gravel airstrip in the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental. Its primary function was to provide air access to an extremely isolated area, inaccessible by road for much of the year. While it may have initially served legitimate purposes such as supporting local mining operations, logging, or providing access for medical or government services to the community of Cajurichi, its strategic location was co-opted by organized crime. By the 2000s, it became a key logistical node for cartels, used for transporting narcotics, weapons, cash, and personnel. It was not a commercial airport and did not handle scheduled passenger flights; its operations were exclusively private and, ultimately, illicit.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Cajurichi Airport. Given that its closure was a deliberate law enforcement and military action to dismantle criminal infrastructure, obtaining official permission to rebuild and operate the airstrip is highly improbable. The significant cost of repair and the lack of a compelling, legitimate economic driver for an airport in such a remote location make any future investment unlikely.