Cunocuno Airport

Economic reasons. Cunocuno was a private, high-altitude airstrip, almost certainly constructed to support a specific mining or geological exploration project in the remote Andes. Airstrips of this nature are typically used for a limited time and abandoned once the project is completed, the mineral resources are exhausted, the operation becomes economically unviable, or when improved road access makes air transport redundant. There is no public record of closure due to an accident or military conversion.

The site is an abandoned and derelict airstrip. Current satellite imagery shows a clearly visible but heavily eroded and completely unmaintained dirt/gravel runway. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure, such as hangars, terminals, or fueling facilities. The land appears unused for any formal purpose, though vehicle tracks suggest it may be occasionally traversed by local traffic related to informal mining or exploration in the region.

The airport's significance was purely logistical and private; it was never a public or commercial facility. It provided critical air access to a remote area, enabling the transport of personnel, high-value supplies, and specialized equipment to and from a mining or exploration camp. Operations would have been limited to STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft capable of handling unprepared, high-elevation runways, such as the Cessna 206, Pilatus PC-6 Porter, or DHC-6 Twin Otter.

There are no known or published plans to reopen Cunocuno Airport. Given its remote location, the complete degradation of the runway surface, and the lack of a current, large-scale economic driver in the immediate vicinity, the prospects for reopening are effectively zero. Re-establishing the airport would require a complete reconstruction and a significant new industrial or mining project to justify the cost.