Lone Star Steel Company Airport

The closure was for economic reasons, directly linked to the financial collapse of the Lone Star Steel Company. A severe downturn in the oil and gas industry in the 1980s decimated the demand for the company's primary products (steel pipes and tubes). This led to massive financial losses, widespread layoffs at the plant, and ultimately a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. As a private corporate airfield, it was an asset the struggling company could no longer afford to maintain and operate.

The airport is permanently closed and abandoned for aviation use. The physical asphalt runway is still clearly visible but is in a state of disrepair, with significant cracking and weathering. The site has been repurposed by the adjacent steel mill (now U.S. Steel's Lone Star Tubular Operations) for industrial use. The former runway is now used as an open-air storage yard for large quantities of steel pipes, raw materials, and other industrial equipment.

The Lone Star Steel Company Airport was a private airfield built in the 1960s to serve the massive, adjacent integrated steel mill. Its primary purpose was to support corporate aviation for the Lone Star Steel Company. It handled executive transport via corporate jets and other aircraft, allowing company officials and important clients to travel directly to the remote plant location. The airport, featuring a single paved runway (17/35) of approximately 4,000 feet, was a symbol of the company's success during its peak years as a critical supplier to the booming U.S. oil and gas industry. Its operational status was a direct barometer of the health of the steel mill and the regional energy sector.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The land is fully integrated into the ground operations of the U.S. Steel plant. The cost to clear the industrial materials, completely rebuild the runway surface, and recertify the facility for aviation would be substantial. Given the availability of nearby public airports like East Texas Regional (GGG) for corporate travel, there is no practical or economic incentive for the current owners to restore the airfield.