The Otopeni military airport was built around 1940 and initially intended as a military training center. It was extensively used by the
Luftwaffe in 1941 with units of the
Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 and
Jagdgeschwader 77 located there. The Romanian
Grupul 6 Vânătoare also used the airport between June and August 1941. The base was further expanded in 1943, being outfitted with fighter control equipment. From July 1943 until 1944, it functioned as the headquarters of
Jagdfliegerführer Rumänien commanding the day and
night fighters which were defending Romania from
Allied air raids. At the same time, night fighter units such as
Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 and
Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 also began to be based there. After Romania turned against
Nazi Germany in 1944, Otopeni began to be used by the Romanian military. In 1949, the 8th Transport Aviation Regiment (
Regimentul 8 Aviație Transport) was established on the "Romeo Popescu" aerodrome at
Giulești. The regiment was transferred to the Otopeni airport, where in 1951 it changed its name to the 108th Aviation Transport Regiment. With this occasion, the battle flag of the regiment was decorated with
Ordinul Apărarea patriei. In 1959, the Regiment was transformed in the 99th Transport Aviation Regiment. From 1986 to 1988, the 99th Transport Aviation Regiment was part of the 50th Transport Aviation Flotilla (
Flotila 50 Aviație Transport), a unit formed in 1972, and from 1988 to 1990 it acted as an independent structure named the 99th Transport Aviation Group (
Grupul 99 Aviație Transport). In 1990, the 90th Air Transport Base was formed by merging the 50th Transport Aviation Flotilla and the 99th Aviation Transport Group. The Base received the battle flag and the title of "Comandor Aviator
Gheorghe Bănciulescu" in 1995. The first
C-130 airplanes entered service in 1996, followed by the
C-27J in 2010. In 2019, during the 70-year anniversary of the base, its battle flag was decorated with the
Order of Aeronautical Virtue by
President Klaus Iohannis.
2007 IAR-330 SOCAT crash Three crewmen were killed on 7 November 2007, including
Comandor Nicolae Bucur (one of the most experienced RoAF pilots, with over 2,700 flying hours), when an
IAR-330 Puma SOCAT helicopter belonging to the 90th Airlift Base crashed in
Ungheni, near
Pitești,
Argeș County. The aircraft was performing a night training mission when it disappeared from
radar. Immediately after the crash, the 90th air base detached two helicopters for a
search and rescue mission. landing at the base
2023 NATO AWACS deployment It was announced on 12 January 2023 that three
NATO AWACS planes were to be deployed from
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen. The planes are to conduct missions for several weeks, monitoring Russian military activity in response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The first Boeing E-3 Sentry airplanes arrived at the base on 17 January. == Air base equipment ==