La Flor Airport

Replacement and obsolescence. The La Flor airstrip was a small, likely unpaved or gravel runway that became inadequate for the needs of the rapidly expanding Peñasquito Mine, one of the world's largest open-pit mines. The mine's operator, Goldcorp (now Newmont), constructed a new, much larger, and modern airport, Peñasquito Airport (ICAO: MMPE), a few kilometers to the northwest. The new airport features a long, paved runway capable of handling larger jet aircraft, making the original La Flor airstrip obsolete.

The airport is permanently closed and defunct. Satellite imagery confirms the runway is still visible but is clearly marked with large 'X's, the universal aviation symbol for a closed runway. The site is located within the vast, secure industrial complex of the Newmont Peñasquito Mine. The former airstrip area is likely used as a laydown yard for equipment, a storage area, or has simply been left unused within the mine's property.

La Flor Airport (MX-2476) was a private airstrip whose sole purpose was to serve the logistical needs of the Peñasquito Mine in its earlier stages. It was a vital link for transporting personnel (engineers, executives, specialized labor), high-value cargo, and for emergency medical evacuations from the remote mine site. Operations would have been limited to smaller, rugged aircraft such as turboprops (e.g., King Air, Cessna Caravan) and piston aircraft capable of landing on short, semi-prepared surfaces. The identifier 'MX-2476' is a non-official ICAO-style code used in some databases for smaller airstrips in Mexico, not a formally assigned ICAO code, which reflects its private, utilitarian nature.

Effectively zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening La Flor Airport. It was permanently and intentionally replaced by the superior Peñasquito Airport (MMPE), which fully serves the current and future needs of the mine with greater capacity and safety standards. Reopening the old, smaller strip would be redundant and economically unjustifiable.