Eloy Alfaro Air Base (Forward Operating Location Manta)

Eloy Alfaro Air Base is located on the Pacific coast near Manta in the Manabí Province of Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Air Force inaugurated the installation on October 24, 1978. The base is named after former Ecuadorian president Eloy Alfaro and operates as a combined civilian airport and military facility.

The Ecuadorian Air Force operates the military portion of the base, which houses Ala No. 23. Between 1999 and 2009, the facility served as Forward Operating Location Manta for the United States Southern Command. This deployment was established to conduct counter-narcotics surveillance operations in northwestern South America. Following a 2008 constitutional amendment prohibiting foreign military installations, the Ecuadorian government declined to renew the U.S. lease. The final U.S. military mission from the facility occurred on July 17, 2009.

Infrastructure at the base supports both civilian and military aviation. During the period of U.S. operations, the facility hosted units operating Boeing E-3 Sentry and Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft. These assets monitored regional air and maritime traffic to provide data to the Joint Interagency Task Force South. The installation is the fourth-busiest airport in Ecuador and continues to host Ecuadorian Air Force flight operations.