The Las Palmas Air Barracks hosted this Tuesday the ceremony of taking possession of Brigadier General Bayardo Abós Álvarez-Buiza, as second chief of the Canary Islands Air Command (MACAN) and chief of staff of the Canary Islands Air Command.
The ceremony was presided over by the chief general of the Canary Islands Air Command, Francisco Javier Vidal Fernández. Numerous civil and military authorities attended the event, among whom were the Government delegate in the Canary Islands Anselmo Pestana, the deputy minister of Coordination and Institutional Relations of the Vice Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands María Auxiliadora Pérez, and the minister of Finance and Emergencies of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria Pedro Francisco Justo. Likewise, representatives of the consular corps accredited in Las Palmas, military personnel from the different units located in the archipelago, members of the State and Autonomous Security Forces and Corps, along with family and friends, attended.
During his speech, Brigadier General Bayardo Abós highlighted the honor of assuming the position at the head of 2,000 professionals, women and men, whose main mission is to guarantee, uninterruptedly, the free and safe use of airspace 365 days a year. He also stated: "we must be prepared to carry out the mission autonomously, whether in times of peace, crisis, or conflict, even though we are permanently connected to the peninsula with redundant systems." This information may be used in part or in its entirety without the need to cite sources. Finally, he stressed that the reason for being of the Air and Space Army is to safeguard the population of Spain, reiterating his loyalty and commitment to the Canarian society.
During the ceremony held at the MACAN General Headquarters Group, the chief general of the Canary Islands Air Command, Francisco Javier Vidal, took the floor. During his speech, he highlighted the work of his predecessor, Brigadier General Juan Antonio Ballesta, and recalled that the main mission of the Canary Islands Air Command is to prepare its eleven units and ensure their maximum operational readiness. In this way, it seeks to carry out the mission of the Air and Space Army in the surveillance and control of its own airspace and outer space, contribute to international security and stability, collaborate with other State bodies, and deter and defend this territory along with the rest of Spain, its population, and its interests.
Likewise, General Vidal praised the career of General Abós, an experienced fighter pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours. Throughout his career, Abós has flown F-18 fighters in Wing 12 (Torrejón Air Base, Madrid), Eurofighters in Wing 14 (Los Llanos Air Base, Albacete), where he served as head of Air Forces, and again F-18s commanding Wing 46 (Gando Air Base). He has been a flight instructor at the General Air Force Academy and in the USA, a member of the Patrulla Águila, and a pilot at the Infante de Orleans Foundation (FIO), which is dedicated to preserving historic aircraft in flight, the legendary North American T-6 Texan aircraft.
His experience is complemented by assignments in the Air Staff (Operations Division) and in the Operations Command, within the joint domain. This operational background will be key for advice and decision-making within his current assignment at the Canary Islands Air Command. Added to this is his participation in international missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, and, more recently, in Lithuania as head of a detachment of fighter aircraft on an air policing mission against the Russian threat.
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