Almaza Air Base (RAF Almaza)

Almaza Air Base is located in Heliopolis, Cairo, and is operated by the Egyptian Air Force. The site originated as a civilian aerodrome in February 1910 for the first air meeting in Africa. During the First World War, the British Army constructed a new airfield to the southeast; the original site is currently occupied in part by the Egyptian Military Academy. In the 1920s, the Egyptian government named the facility Almaza Airport after László Almásy. In June 1932, it became the first base for the Egyptian Army Air Force following the arrival of de Havilland Gipsy Moth trainers. The service became the Royal Egyptian Air Force in 1937. Between 1931 and 1938, the base supported civil aviation through Misr Airwork S.A. During the Second World War, the installation functioned as RAF Almaza before reverting to Egyptian control in 1947. In 1956, the base was subject to aerial bombardment by British forces during the Suez Crisis, at which time it operated Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and MiG-17, Gloster Meteor, de Havilland Vampire, and Ilyushin Il-28 aircraft.

The base serves as the headquarters for the Egyptian Air Force and houses multiple air divisions. The 159 Air Division includes 99 Squadron, which operates transport and utility aircraft including Beechcraft Super King Air 200, Gulfstream III, IV, IVSP, and G400, and Dassault Falcon 7X. The 533 Air Wing operates the Air Navigation School using EADS CASA C-295M and Antonov An-74 T-200A aircraft. The 546 Air Wing, part of the 119 Air Division, includes 7 (VIP) Squadron with Sikorsky S-70A-21 and AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters, and 12 Squadron with Westland Commando Mk1 and Mk2B airframes. Search and rescue operations are managed by 18 Squadron, utilizing Agusta A109 and AW139 helicopters, and 21 Squadron with S-70A-21s. Additional units include 38 Squadron, which operates Beech 1900C-1 aircraft, and a Ministry of Health SAR Unit equipped with AW139, A109E, Mil Mi-17, Mi-17V-5, Beechcraft 1900D, and Cessna 680 aircraft.