Howard Air Force Base

Howard Air Force Base
Part of Air Combat Command
Located near Balboa, Panama
Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, about 1970
Coordinates8°54′54″N 79°35′58″W / 8.91500°N 79.59944°W / 8.91500; -79.59944
TypePublic
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Air Force
Site history
Built1939
In use1942-1999

Howard Air Force Base (IATA: BLB, ICAO: MPHO) is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former Panama Canal Zone be closed and the facilities be turned over to the Panamanian government.

The airport is located 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Balboa, at the southern (Pacific) end of the Panama Canal. Most of the area around it was uninhabited and formed part of the Panama Canal Zone watershed, although Panama City could be reached by crossing the nearby Bridge of the Americas.

After demilitarization, the facility reopened as Panamá Pacífico International Airport in 2014.[1][2]

  1. ^ Hilarski, Randy (April 9, 2013). "Howard Air Force Base has Been Transformed into Panama Pacifico". Panama Simple. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  2. ^ "VivaColombia confirms Panama and Peru services and new base at Bogota in 2014". CAPA Center for Aviation. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2015-04-08. Bogota-Panama City service