🇪🇬 Kibrit Airport

Kibrit Air Base (HE34) is a military airfield located on the western bank of the Suez Canal in Egypt, approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) north of Suez in the Ismailia Governorate. It is an operational Egyptian Air Force helicopter facility and reserve base, currently hosting an SA-342 Gazelle unit.

The base features two parallel asphalt runways, 14/32, each approximately 2,680 meters (8,805 ft) long and 45 meters wide. While they historically supported fixed-wing operations, these runways have been adapted primarily for rotary-wing aircraft, and some sources indicate that the asphalt is being removed from the primary runways.

Historically significant, Kibrit Air Base was established as RAF Kabrit (Landing Ground 213) by the Royal Air Force in early 1941 during World War II, serving as a strategic hub for Allied forces in the North African campaign. Notably, the Special Air Service (SAS) was formed at this location in 1941. Control was transferred to the Egyptian Air Force in 1956, and it played a role in several regional conflicts, including the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Six-Day War, and was captured by Israeli ground forces during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.