Albrook Air Force Station is a former

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

facility in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. It was closed on 30 September 1997 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties which specified that United States military facilities in the former

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

be closed and the facilities be turned over to the Panamanian government. It was located on the east side of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

just south of

Fort Clayton Fort Clayton was a United States Army base in the former Panama Canal Zone, later part of the Republic of Panama. Base Fort Clayton was located northwest of Balboa, Panama, with the Panama Canal located nearby. It closed in 1999 pursuant ...

and north of the township of

Balboa, Panama Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. It was the capital of the Panama Canal Zone under American administration. History The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the constru ...

. Beginning in January 1999, the air field initiated civilian air service as Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport.

Major commands to which assigned

* Panama Canal Department, 1932- 19 October 1940 * Panama Canal Air Force, 19 October 1940 - 5 August 1941 * Caribbean Air Force, 5 August 1941 - 18 September 1942 *

Sixth Air Force Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

, 18 September 1942 - 31 July 1946 * Caribbean Air Command, 31 July 1946 - 8 July 1963 *

United States Air Forces Southern Command The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone, Canal Zone, being ...

, 8 July 1963 - 1 January 1976 *

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

: USAF Southern Air Division, 1 January 1976 - 1 January 1989 : 830th Air Division, 1 January 1989 - 15 February 1991 :

Air Forces Panama Air Forces Panama is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) headquarters. It was assigned to Tactical Air Command, most recently to Twelfth Air Force. Its headquarters were located at Albrook Air Force Station and Howard Air Force Base in th ...

, 15 February 1991 - 11 February 1992 *

, 11 February - 31 May 1992 *

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

, 31 May 1992 - 30 September 1997

Major units assigned

* 16th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group : 24th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 26 October 1932-10 January 1943; 28 May-9 June 1943 : 28th Pursuit Squadron, 1 February-5 October 1940 : 29th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 October 1933-17 May 1942 : 43d Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 February 1940-13 July 1942 : 73d Pursuit Squadron, 1 October 1933-14 July 1941 : 78th Pursuit Squadron, 15 October 1932-1 September 1937 * 19th Composite Wing, 25 January 1933 : Redesignated 19th Wing, 1937 : Redesignated 19th Bombardment Wing, 1940 - 25 October 1941 * 37th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group : 30th Pursuit Squadron, 13 November 1940-24 November 1941 : 31st Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron, 13 November 1940-9 November 1941; 31 December 1941-3 February 1942; 19 May-30 September 1942 * Headquarters, Panama Canal Air Force, 20 November 1940 : Redesignated: Caribbean Air Force. August 5, 1941 : Redesignated: 6th Air Force, September 18, 1942 : Redesignated: Caribbean Air Command, July 31, 1946 : Redesignated:

July 8, 1963-1 January 1976 *

12 Pursuit Wing The 12th Air Division an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Eighth Air Force, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 31 July 1990. History The division was established as the ...

, 10 November 1940 – 6 March 1942 * 32d Pursuit (later Fighter) Group : 51st Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 : 52d Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 : 53d Pursuit Squadron, 1 January-21 August 1941 *

VI Bomber Command The VI Bomber Command was a military formation of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force. It was based throughout its service at Albrook Field, in the Panama Canal Zone. It was inactivated on 1 November ...

, 25 October 1941 – 1 November 1946 *

XXVI Fighter Command The XXVI Fighter Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to Sixth Air Force throughout its existence. It was based at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, where it was inactivated on 25 August 1946. It engage ...

, 6 March 1942 - 25 August 1946 * 1st Communications Squadron, Air Support, 23 April 1942-April 1943 *

40th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

, 16 September 1942 - 3 June 1943 *

6th Bombardment Group Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007'' ...

, 14 January - 1 November 1943 : 3rd Bombardment Squadron : 74th Bombardment Squadron * Sixth Air Force Base Command : 20th Troop Carrier Squadron, 9 June 1943-September 1948 * 1st Depot Repair Squadron, 6 May 1943 – 7 December 1944 * 314th Troop Carrier Group, 1 October 1946 - 10 March 1948 * 5700th Composite Wing : 18th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1 August 1948-1 March 1949 * 24th Composite Wing, 8 November 1967 - 3 January 1968 * 830th Air Division, 1 January 1976 – 15 August 1977; 1 March 1989 – 15 February 1991

Post USAF use

In September 1997, the base was turned over to Panama. It was then refurbished with an operations / control tower constructed; also a passenger terminal (near Building 446, the hangar that previously housed the former Air Force Post Office). In January 1999, the domestic/commercial Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport was relocated to Albrook from Punta Paitilla (across Panama City). The airport is under Panama's Civil Aeronautics Authority (Autoridad de Aeronáutica Civil —previously named Civil Aviation Directorate). A number of shops, markets, mall and government agencies (Panamanian Red Cross, International Maritime University of Panama) operate out of some of the old buildings and hangars, and most of the officers quarters are now private homes. The Civil Aviation Authority has its headquarters in Building 805.Contáctenos
" Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on April 18, 2012. "Oficinas Administrativas: Albrook Edificio 805 - Panamá"

Notes

References

* *

External links

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

(HABS) documentation, filed under Balboa, Former Panama Canal Zone, CZ: ** ** ** ** ** ** {{authority control 1932 establishments in Panama 1997 disestablishments in Panama Airports in Panama Buildings and structures in Panamá Province Historic American Buildings Survey in the former Panama Canal Zone Installations of the United States Air Force in Panama Military installations closed in 1997 Panama Canal Zone