page_title: Chambley-Bussières Air Base
section_title: Current Uses
hierarchical_section_title: Chambley-Bussières Air Base / Current Uses
caption_attribution_description: Mondial Air Ballons 2007 festival in Chambley/France
context_page_description: Chambley-Bussières Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, about ten miles west of the French city of Metz, and about one mile southwest of Chambley-Bussières, on the south side of the Départemental 901 road.
  The first use of Chambley-Bussières as an airfield was in 1940, when the French Air Force stationed 9 Potez 631 fighters and 5 Mureaux 117 observation aircraft on farmland. The aircraft were assigned to the GAO 2/506. After the Battle of France ended in May, 1940, Chambley-Bussieres was abandoned as an air base and returned to agricultural use. During the Cold War, Chambley-Bussières was a front-line base for the United States Air Forces in Europe.
context_section_description: After the USAF's departure in 1967, the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) assumed control of Chambley AB. It was used for various flight operations and also by airborne forces for many years.
  Today, Chambley is being developed into a commercial business park. The runway and various taxiways are intact and usable. Many of the old USAF buildings and hangars are used for various non-military purposes.
  The airfield is still classified as being a military airfield, however many aeronautical activities take place in particular by the means of a club of Ultralight aircraft since more than 20 years and the "Lorraine Mondial Air Ballons", which is Europe's largest hot air balloon festival and takes place here every two years at the end of July.
  Since July 16, 2009, the main runway (05-23) of the airfield is now open to civil air traffic restricted to Very Light Aircraft with code LFJY.
caption: "Mondial Air Ballons" festival 2007
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