Naval Air Station Albany

The final closure was part of a post-Vietnam War military drawdown and consolidation of naval air training facilities. The base had a complex history with multiple periods of activity and closure under different military branches, with the 1974 disestablishment marking the end of all aviation operations at the site.

The site of the former air station has been completely redeveloped and no longer functions as an airfield. The runways, taxiways, and military aviation infrastructure have been removed. The land is now a major industrial park for the city of Albany. Prominent facilities located on the former base include large manufacturing and distribution centers for Molson Coors (formerly MillerCoors), Procter & Gamble, and Mars Wrigley Confectionery. A portion of the original base property is now the active Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, a key logistics and supply chain management facility for the U.S. Marine Corps, though it does not have an active runway.

The air station has a rich and varied military history. It was originally established in 1941 as Turner Field, an Army Air Forces advanced flight training school. During World War II, it was one of the largest flight schools in the southeastern US, training thousands of American and British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots on multi-engine aircraft like the AT-10 and B-25. After WWII, it was briefly transferred to the Navy in 1946 and designated Naval Air Station Albany. In 1950, with the onset of the Cold War, it was transferred back to the Air Force and renamed Turner Air Force Base, becoming a major Strategic Air Command (SAC) base housing B-29s, B-50s, and later, B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft. After Turner AFB was closed in 1967, a portion of the base was reacquired by the Navy and re-established as Naval Air Station Albany, serving as a detachment for the Naval Air Training Command from NAS Glynco. This final iteration of the base was disestablished in 1974.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The extensive and well-established industrial development, including massive factory buildings constructed directly on the former airfield footprint, makes any future conversion back to an aviation facility infeasible.