Almaza Air Base

Almaza Airport
File:Yuri Gagarin and Zakaria Mohieddin 05-02-1962 Cairo Almaza Air Base.jpg
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Joint (Civil and Military)
Serves	Cairo
Location	Cairo, Egypt
Hub for
Coordinates
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m Asphalt
Named after László Almásy

Almaza Air Base is an old aerodrome in northeast of Cairo the capital of Egypt. It was established as a civilian aerodrome but today it is a military airport.

History

It was established in Heliopolis as Heliopolis Airport during Heliopolis race (1910). Then it was named RAF Heliopolis in circa 1914 and used by RAF, Misr Airwork and the Egyptian Government. In the 1920s it was named by the Egyptian government Almasay Airport after László Almásy a former pilot in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. It was the first base of the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF). On 2 June 1932 it has witnessed the start of the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF) by arrival of the first 5 moths aircraft from Hatfield air field north of London flown by Abdel-Minuim Miquati, Ahmed Abdel-Raziq, Fuad Abdel-Hamid and 2 other British pilots. The Piolets were greeted by the Egyptian king a large crowd of excited Egyptians. During the World War II it was named RAF Almaza. After circa 1947 it became EAF Almaza until now.

During World War II and after it several Air forces Squadrons were stationed in Almaza Airport including:

• No. 318 Squadron of Polish Air Force in England (1943)
• No. 451 Squadron RAAF (1943, 1944)
• 454 RAAF Squadron DAF (1945)
• No. 78 Squadron RAF (1945)
• No. 208 Squadron RAF (1940s)
• SAAF Base Depot (1944)
• No. 34 Squadron RAF VR at SAAF Base
• No. 113 Squadron RAF during Operation Polley (1947)

It was bombed in the 31st of October 1956 the British bombers during Suez crisis. Almaza airfield at that time had 25 MiG-15/17s, four Meteors, 21 Vampires, ten Il-28s and afterwards it was bombed several times.

It has witnessed the reception of Yuri Gagarin by Zakaria Mohieddin in 05-02-1962.