Beja Airbase

Beja Air Base (Portuguese: Base Aérea de Beja; IATA: BYJ, ICAO: LPBJ), designated as Air Base No. 11 (Portuguese: Base Aérea Nº 11, BA11) is one of the most important military airbases in Portugal, 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest of Beja,100 km (62 mi) north of Algarve. It is used by the Portuguese Air Force and has two parallel runways in the 01/19 direction, the biggest being 3,450 m × 60 m (11,320 ft × 200 ft). The base is home to two training squadrons, one helicopter squadron and one maritime patrol squadron.

History

The base was established on 21 October 1964, originally built to serve as a training facility for the Luftwaffe, due to airspace limitations within West Germany. Until 1993 it was used particularly for weapons training, and in 1987 the Portuguese Air Force's 103 Squadron using Lockheed T-33 and Northrop T-38 aircraft was relocated from Montijo. After their arrival, the base started to host a mixed array of fixed and rotary-wing trainers, as well as maritime patrol aircraft.