Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase (RAF Station El Adem)

Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase is a Libyan Air Force installation located 16 kilometers south of Tobruk. Established as an Italian Air Force airfield prior to World War II, the facility was reconstructed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and resumed operations on December 12, 1942. Designated as RAF Station El Adem, it supported the North African Campaign against German and Italian forces. The base served as the headquarters for No. 211 Group RAF and hosted numerous RAF, South African Air Force, and United States Army Air Forces units. Historical aircraft operated from the airfield included Douglas C-47 Skytrains of the 316th Troop Carrier Group and North American B-25 Mitchells of the 379th Bombardment Squadron.

Following the war, the RAF utilized the facility as a staging post for aircraft transiting between Europe and eastern destinations. Postwar aviation assets stationed at the base included No. 1564 Flight, operating Bristol Sycamore and Westland Whirlwind helicopters. British forces maintained operations at the airfield until March 1970, when troops withdrew following the 1969 Libyan coup d'état. The base was subsequently transferred to Libyan control and renamed in honor of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Operating under Libyan Air Force jurisdiction, the installation maintains its military function. In 2013, civil aviation operations were integrated when the site officially reopened as Tobruk International Airport, facilitating commercial flights to Alexandria, Egypt.