Requena Airport

The airport was closed due to its replacement by a new, modern facility. The old airport (PE-0040) had significant operational and safety limitations. Its runway was unpaved (grass/dirt), short, and it was located directly within the expanding urban center of Requena, posing a risk to the local population. It lacked modern navigation aids, restricting flights to Visual Flight Rules (VFR), meaning operations could only occur during the day and in good weather. The Peruvian government constructed the new Requena Airport (ICAO: SPRE, IATA: REQ) with a paved runway, a modern terminal, and improved safety features to handle larger aircraft and all-weather operations, thereby improving the region's connectivity and economic potential. The closure was a planned replacement, not due to an accident or sudden economic failure.

The former airport site has been completely decommissioned and redeveloped for urban use. Satellite imagery shows that the land where the runway once existed has been fully integrated into the city's street grid. New roads, such as Jirón Aviación, now intersect the former airstrip. The area is now occupied by residential housing, commercial buildings, and public spaces. While the linear outline of the former runway is still faintly discernible from above due to the pattern of development, no aviation infrastructure remains.

For decades, the old Requena Airport was a vital lifeline for the city and surrounding communities in the Amazon rainforest, a region with limited road infrastructure. It served as the primary hub for connecting Requena with the regional capital, Iquitos, and other parts of Peru. Operations consisted mainly of small propeller aircraft, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Pilatus PC-6 Porter, operated by regional carriers (like the former TANS Perú) and air taxi services. The airport was crucial for transporting passengers, essential cargo (including food, medicine, and supplies), and facilitating critical medical evacuations (medevac). It was fundamental to the social and economic life of the isolated community.

There are zero prospects for reopening this airport. The site has been permanently repurposed for urban development and is no longer suitable for aviation. All air traffic for the city is now handled by the new Requena Airport (SPRE), which is located a few kilometers southwest of the city and is a vastly superior and safer facility. The new airport fulfills all of the region's current and projected aviation needs.