Debrzno Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the large-scale restructuring and modernization of the Polish Armed Forces following the end of the Cold War and in preparation for Poland's accession to NATO. The process involved downsizing the military, consolidating forces onto fewer, more modern bases, and retiring aging Soviet-era equipment. The MiG-21 aircraft stationed at Debrzno were being phased out, making the base and its regiment redundant. The closure was a strategic and economic decision, not the result of an accident or specific incident.

The site is no longer used for aviation and has been extensively redeveloped. The main runway and many taxiways, while still visible, are in a state of severe disrepair. The most prominent current use is a large wind farm (Farma Wiatrowa Debrzno), with numerous wind turbines constructed directly on and around the former airfield. Additionally, a penal institution, Zakład Karny w Debrznie (Debrzno Prison), has been established in the former administrative and barracks section of the base. Other areas and some of the hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) are used for private industrial, storage, and agricultural purposes.

The air base has a significant history dating back to the 1930s when it was constructed as a German Luftwaffe airfield named Flugplatz Preußisch Friedland. After World War II, it was taken over by the Polish Air Force and became a key military installation during the Cold War. From 1952 until its closure, it was the home of the 41st Fighter Aviation Regiment (41. Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego). Throughout its operational history, the regiment flew a succession of fighter aircraft, including the MiG-15, Lim-2, Lim-5 (Polish-built variants of the MiG-15/17), and, for most of its later years, various versions of the MiG-21. As part of Poland's northern air defense sector, its primary mission was air defense and interception, playing a strategic role within the Warsaw Pact's air power structure.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening Debrzno as an airport. The extensive redevelopment of the site, particularly the construction of the wind farm with turbines creating permanent obstructions in the flight path and on the airfield itself, makes a return to aviation activities practically and economically unfeasible. The focus for the former base is on continued economic and industrial use, not a revival of its aviation role.