Jennings Ranch Airport

The specific reason is not publicly documented, which is common for a private airfield. The closure is consistent with abandonment due to a lack of use. This often occurs when the property changes ownership, the owner ceases aviation activities for economic or personal reasons, or the owner passes away. The gradual overgrowth of the runway suggests a cessation of maintenance and use rather than a closure caused by a specific incident or land redevelopment project at the time.

The airport is permanently closed and abandoned. Current satellite imagery shows the former runway is completely reclaimed by nature and is heavily overgrown with the native South Texas brush and mesquite. While the faint outline of the runway is still discernible from the air, it is entirely unusable for aviation. A pipeline or service road now appears to cut across the northern portion of the former runway area. The land has reverted to its use as undeveloped rangeland, part of the larger ranch property.

Jennings Ranch Airport, which also used the FAA identifier 7TA2, was a private general aviation airfield. Its primary purpose was to serve the large, surrounding Jennings Ranch. Operations would have consisted of light, privately-owned aircraft (such as single-engine or light twin-engine planes) used for personal and business transportation for the ranch owners, guests, and employees. Such private airstrips are common on large Texas ranches, providing convenient access to remote properties for ranch management, surveying, and travel. The airfield featured a single, unpaved 4,000-foot turf runway aligned approximately 17/35.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Jennings Ranch Airport. As the land is privately owned and the airfield has been abandoned for over a decade, reopening would require a significant private investment from the current landowner. This would involve extensive land clearing, grading, and resurfacing of the runway, as well as meeting any current FAA requirements for airfield registration. Given the remote location and the availability of the nearby Zapata County Airport (KAPY), there is no public or commercial driver for its restoration.