Definition
A formal status assigned to an airport that has been closed for an undetermined length of time, with no scheduled reopening date. When an airport is in indefinite closure status, it is removed from active use for normal operations, its instrument approach procedures and departure procedures may be suspended or withdrawn from publication, and the airport is flagged in aeronautical information sources so pilots do not plan to use it.
Plain English
The airport is shut down and nobody knows when (or if) it will reopen. Until that changes, you cannot plan to fly to or from it, and the published procedures for using it may no longer be valid.
Context Anchor
Seen when reviewing airport information or instrument procedure material for an airport that has been marked closed indefinitely.
Derivation
"Indefinite" comes from Latin indefinitus, meaning "not bounded" or "without a fixed limit." Here it points to the open-ended nature of the closure -- there is no defined end date, not just a long one.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must select alternate airports or routes because no return to service is currently scheduled.
Intuition Check
Do not read indefinite closure status as “closed for a short time” or “closed forever.” It means closed with no definite reopening date currently published.
Example Sentence 1
During flight planning, the pilot noticed the nearest alternate had been placed in indefinite closure status and selected a different airport instead.
Example Sentence 2
Due to indefinite closure status, the crew diverted to the next suitable airport on the route.