Nueva Guinea Airport

The closure was due to a combination of factors:
1. **Reduced Military Need:** The airstrip was a strategic military asset for the Sandinista government during the Contra War of the 1980s. With the end of the war in 1990, its primary military purpose was eliminated.
2. **Economic Obsolescence:** The gradual improvement and eventual paving of the highway connecting Nueva Guinea to Managua and other major cities made ground transportation more reliable and far more cost-effective for both passengers and cargo, rendering commercial air service economically unviable.
3. **Urban Encroachment:** Following the end of the conflict and with the declining use of the airstrip, the city of Nueva Guinea expanded onto the airport's land. The lack of zoning enforcement led to the construction of homes and businesses directly on and alongside the former runway.

The site of the former airport has been completely absorbed by the city of Nueva Guinea. The original runway's path is now a wide, unpaved residential street known locally as 'La Pista' (The Airstrip). The land is densely populated with houses, small shops, and other buildings, and it is fully integrated into the city's street grid. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure such as a terminal, hangars, or navigational aids.

Established as a vital link for the remote agricultural region, the Nueva Guinea airstrip was initially the primary means of transportation and supply to the isolated community. Its importance peaked during the 1980s when it was converted into a strategic forward airbase for the Sandinista Popular Army (EPS). It was critical for launching counter-insurgency operations, transporting troops, flying logistical and supply missions, and conducting medical evacuations during the fight against the Contras in the dense jungles of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. It also handled limited civilian flights, operated by the state airline Aeronica and later smaller charters, connecting the region to the capital, Managua.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original airport at its historical location, as it is now a populated residential and commercial neighborhood. Any future air service for Nueva Guinea would require the acquisition of new land and the construction of a brand-new airport in a different, undeveloped area outside the city. Currently, there are no active, funded government plans to build a new airport for Nueva Guinea. Regional air traffic is served by the larger, modernized airport in Bluefields (IATA: BEF).