Santiago Military Airfield

Santiago Military Airfield is located in Lavacolla, 10 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, adjacent to the civilian Santiago de Compostela Airport. The facility was inaugurated on July 29, 1935, and began serving regular air routes in 1937. A military detachment was established in 1945 under the Jefatura del Servicio de Obras del Sector Aéreo de Galicia. Between 1964 and 1967, following the construction of a new terminal, the original airport facilities were designated for exclusive Spanish Air Force use. The site was classified as a Military Aerodrome in 1993 and has operated as a Joint Use Aerodrome since July 1995.

Operated by the Spanish Air Force, the airfield provides logistical support and security for deployed Spanish Armed Forces units. Permanent units include Ala 37, supporting the Customs Surveillance Service, and 43 Grupo de Fuerzas Aéreas, which operates Canadair CL-215T aircraft for forest firefighting missions. The base also hosts regular deployments from the Light Infantry Brigade (BRILAT), the Training Group from Salamanca Air Base, 45 Grupo, Ala 31, Ala 35, the Cartographic and Photographic Center (CECAF), the Spanish Navy's Fourth Squadron, and the Patrulla Águila.

The installation occupies 94,000 square meters and includes a 35,000-square-meter aircraft parking platform. Infrastructure consists of a headquarters building, crew lodging and quarters, a multipurpose building, and garage hangars.