Juigalpa Airport

Military Decommissioning and Economic Non-viability. The airstrip was constructed in the early 1980s almost exclusively for military use by the Sandinista Popular Army (EPS). When the war concluded around 1990, its strategic military purpose was eliminated. There was no subsequent commercial or civilian air traffic demand to sustain its operations, leading to its conversion for other uses.

The site of the former airport is now an active military base. It is the headquarters of the 5th Regional Military Command of the Nicaraguan Army (Comando Militar Regional N°5 del Ejército de Nicaragua). The original runway is still visible in satellite imagery but is unmaintained, non-operational for aircraft, and fully integrated into the grounds of the military installation.

The airport, known locally as the 'Pista de Hato Grande', was a strategically important military airbase during the 1980s Contra War. Located in the department of Chontales, a major conflict zone, it served as a critical logistics hub for the Sandinista government. Operations primarily involved military transport aircraft (such as Antonov An-2s and An-26s) and helicopters, which were used to deploy troops, transport supplies and ammunition, and conduct medical evacuations. It had little to no history of scheduled commercial passenger or cargo services; its significance is almost entirely tied to its military role during the Nicaraguan Revolution and the subsequent civil war.

Zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the original Juigalpa Airport, as the land is permanently occupied by a key military command center. While the Nicaraguan government has occasionally discussed building a new airport in the Chontales region to boost the local economy and tourism (with a potential site near San Pedro de Lóvago mentioned in 2017), these plans are for a new facility at a different location and their current status is uncertain due to the country's economic and political situation.