El Potrero Airport

While no single event is cited for the closure, the primary reason is economic obsolescence and lack of demand. Small, unpaved airstrips like El Potrero were common in remote parts of Mexico for connecting communities before extensive road networks were built. The closure was likely a gradual process resulting from:
1. **Improved Ground Transportation:** The development and paving of roads to and from Sahuaripa reduced the necessity for air travel for general purposes.
2. **Economic Factors:** The high cost of maintaining even a basic airstrip, coupled with very low traffic (primarily small private aircraft or air taxis), made it economically unviable.
3. **Lack of Commercial Operations:** The airport never hosted scheduled commercial flights, relying solely on general aviation, which was insufficient to sustain it.

The airport is permanently closed and completely abandoned. Satellite imagery confirms that the former runway is heavily deteriorated, overgrown with vegetation, and unusable for any form of aviation. There are no remaining airport buildings, hangars, or facilities on the site. The land has effectively reverted to undeveloped rural scrubland, with the faint outline of the runway being the only remaining evidence of its past use.

El Potrero Airport was a small, local airstrip ('pista de terracería' or dirt strip) whose significance was purely functional for the remote municipality of Sahuaripa. In its active years, it served as a vital link to the outside world. Operations would have included:
- **General Aviation:** Used by private pilots and small aircraft owners for personal or business travel.
- **Air Taxi Services:** Providing on-demand flights to larger cities like Hermosillo for business, supplies, or connecting to commercial flights.
- **Medical Evacuations:** Critical for transporting patients in emergencies to hospitals with better facilities.
- **Government/Ranching Use:** Potentially used by government officials or local ranchers to access the remote region.
It represented an era when aviation was the most efficient way to overcome the challenging terrain of the Sierra Madre Occidental before modern infrastructure became available.

There are no known plans, proposals, or prospects for reopening El Potrero Airport. The economic and logistical factors that led to its closure are still valid today, and likely even more pronounced. Re-establishing the airstrip would require significant investment to clear, grade, and certify the runway, with no apparent demand to justify the cost. The community's transportation needs are now met by the existing road network.