AES Airport Solutions has completed a new LED airfield lighting project at Zaragoza Air Base (ICAO: LEZG), one of the most important military airfields in Spain. The project covered the supply and installation of LED runway edge lights, centreline lights, and touchdown zone lights from the Airsafe range.
About Zaragoza Air Base
Zaragoza Air Base is a major installation of the Spanish Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio), located approximately 15 kilometres west of the city of Zaragoza in the Aragón region. The base shares infrastructure with Zaragoza Airport and sits at an elevation of 257 metres above sea level.
The airfield has a long and remarkable history. It was established in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. In 1953, under the Pact of Madrid between Spain and the United States, the base underwent a major modernisation programme. US Navy engineers strengthened the existing runway and built a new one, creating the two parallel runway configuration that still exists today: the main runway (12/30) measuring 3,718 metres by 61 metres, and a secondary runway of 3,024 metres by 60 metres (source: Wikipedia, «Zaragoza Airport»).
From 1958 to 1994, Zaragoza hosted United States Air Force units supporting NATO operations, including tactical fighter training and strategic deployments.
Today, the base is home to Ala 15 (15th Wing) of the Spanish Air Force, which operates two squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet fighters. It also hosts the Air Deployment Support Squadron (EADA), the School of Security, Defense and Support Techniques (ETESDA), and a battalion of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) (source: GlobalMilitary.net, «Zaragoza Air Base»).
A lesser-known fact: Zaragoza was designated by NASA as a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) site for the Space Shuttle programme. This was never needed, but the designation speaks to the quality and scale of the airfield’s infrastructure.
Project Scope
The project at Zaragoza Air Base focused on three core elements of the runway lighting system:
- Runway edge lights
- Runway centreline lights
- Touchdown zone lights
All fittings installed are from the Airsafe LED range, certified to ICAO Annex 14, FAA, and EASA standards. The LED technology delivers significant advantages over the halogen fittings it replaces: lower energy consumption, longer operational life (exceeding 100,000 hours under normal conditions), consistent colour output, and reduced maintenance requirements.
Military Airfields and AGL
Military air bases have their own set of demands when it comes to airfield ground lighting. Operations can happen at any hour, in any weather, and often under strict time constraints. The lighting system needs to be reliable, easy to maintain, and ready to perform whenever it is called upon.
At Zaragoza, the combination of fighter jet operations (with the associated jet blast and vibration), the base’s role in international exercises and deployments, and the sheer volume of movements on the runway makes a robust and modern AGL system essential.
Growing Portfolio of References
The Zaragoza project adds another reference to AES Airport Solutions’ expanding portfolio across Europe. Recent projects include the LED airfield lighting installation at Cottbus-Neuhausen airfield in Germany, the approach lighting project at Uşak Airport in Turkey, and the LED taxiway guidance signs contract at Erfurt-Weimar Airport in Germany.
AES supplies the full Airsafe range of airfield ground lighting products, including runway, taxiway, approach, signage, solar, and power supply systems. For more information about this project or to discuss your own requirements, contact our team.
📩 aes@aes-europe.com 📞 +376 665 572