Zorritos Airport

The closure was due to economic and logistical factors. The airstrip was primarily built to support the local oil industry in Zorritos, a historically significant oil town. As local oil operations were scaled back or modernized, and with the adjacent Pan-American Highway providing reliable road access, the airstrip became obsolete and was no longer economically viable to maintain.

The site is currently abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery clearly shows the faint outline of the single dirt runway, which is heavily weathered, partially overgrown with vegetation, and crossed by informal tracks. There are no remaining airport buildings such as a terminal, control tower, or hangars. The land is unused and has not been repurposed for any other formal activity.

Zorritos Airport's significance was entirely logistical and tied to the Peruvian oil industry. It served as a private/corporate aerodrome, likely for state-owned companies like Petroperú and its predecessors. Its operations would have consisted of general aviation flights carrying personnel, executives, and light, urgent cargo between Zorritos and other operational centers like Lima or Talara. It never handled scheduled commercial passenger flights, which is why it was never assigned an IATA code, and was a critical utility for the industry before robust road infrastructure was in place.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original Zorritos Airport (PE-0053). The site is unsuitable for modern aviation needs. However, there have been recurring, long-term proposals by the Peruvian government (through ProInversión) to construct a new, modern international airport for the Tumbes region to boost tourism. This proposed project is often referred to as the 'Aeropuerto Internacional de la Riviera de Tumbes' and is planned for a new location in the vicinity of Canoas de Punta Sal or Zorritos, but it is an entirely separate project from the old, closed airstrip.