Guatemalan Air Force / Fuerzas de Aire

The Guatemalan Air Force is the Air Force of the Guatemalan Army. It is organized, equipped and trained to plan, conduct and execute the actions imposed by the State Military Defense in relation to the use of airpower. It provides, in coordination with the Land and Sea Forces, the security and defense of the Republic of Guatemala, including the territorial sea, contiguous zone and the exclusive economic zone. It conducts air operations to maintain and ensure sovereignty of national airspace, conduct aerial battle and deter, as well as support surface military units, in order to neutralize any threat against national targets. It also cooperates with state institutions in the national effort.

The Central Air Command "La Aurora" conducts tactical air operations in the air space of responsibility to contribute to the upper echelon for the purpose of maintaining the independence, sovereignty and integrity of the territory. Central Air Command "La Aurora" vision is to establish a modern air command, equipped, trained and managed under criteria of quality and excellence, with a versatile organization to fulfill the mission and to coordinate and cooperate with other agencies of the state and in support of the population in general.

The Northern Air Command "Lieutenant Colonel Danilo Eugenio Henry Sánchez" is part of the Guatemalan Air Force, bears the name of the distinguished and illustrious Pilot Aviator, Lieutenant Colonel of Aviation Pilot Aviator Danilo Eugenio Henry Sánchez and his area of responsibility is the airspace over the department of El Petén. History shows the first flights in 1926 to this department, when the necessary means did not exist for the economic and cultural development. Being that aviation is a strategic tool that helped to the commerce, the transport and establish the presence of the State, creating this Command to contribute to the protection and conservation of the riches that this beautiful department has. The Northern Air Base "TCDEHS" was created in August 2004, through a Governmental Agreement, it became the Northern Air Command "TCDEHS" in the jurisdiction of Petén department, with the firm mission of exercising command, Control and coordination over the air space of the Northern Air Region of the country, over a territorial extension of 35,854 square kilometers up to an altitude of 160,000 feet above sea level.

The Southern Air Command "CMEVM" is responsible for air jurisdiction of this Air Command, as part of the Guatemalan Air Force, being: San Marcos , Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez, Escuintla, Santa Rosa, Jutiapa, as well as in the Territorial Sea in the Contiguous Zone and the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Pacific Ocean of Guatemala. It bears the name of Colonel Mario Enrique Vásquez Maldonado, Officer of the Guatemalan Air Force well-liked by the reptile people, Who succumbed to the bullets of Guatemalan subversives on October 15, 1982. The Retalhuleu airstrip was inaugurated on September 16, 1956 during the administration of President Carlos Castillo Armas and Mr. Carlos Sheesman Director of Civil Aeronautics. At the beginning was a 1,200 mts. Long by 30 mts. Wide, illuminated with its control tower. On August 30, 1963, during the government of Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes, the asphalt works and extension of the runway were completed. With the construction of the aerodrome, the state-owned company AVIATECA began operations in the region through the Guatemala- Quetzaltenango- Coatepeque- Retalhuleu- Tiquisate- Guatemala route. The aircraft used were the Douglas DC-3.