# El Centro NAF Airport (Vraciu Field) (NJK)

> El Centro, US · IATA: NJK · ICAO: KNJK · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `NJK` |
| ICAO | `KNJK` |
| City | El Centro |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | -13 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 32.82920, -115.67200 |

## Description

Blue and gold jets over irrigated lettuce fields set the scene at Naval Air Facility El Centro (NJK/KNJK), a US Navy training field about 13 metres below sea level that is closed to civil traffic and handles no commercial cargo. The Blue Angels returned on 7 January 2026 for their annual winter camp ahead of the new display season, while fleet squadrons use the site's dependable desert weather year round. The air show normally staged in March was cancelled on 3 March 2026 because of heightened force-protection requirements, though the base itself continues to operate normally. Civil aviation needs in the Imperial Valley are met by Imperial County Airport (IPL) roughly 15 kilometres north, which offers scheduled service but no meaningful freight infrastructure. Commercial air cargo effectively all clears at San Diego (SAN), sometimes Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix-Mesa or Yuma (YUM), and is trucked in on Interstate 8. For cross-border trade with Mexicali the relevant interface is not the airfield at all but the Calexico East commercial truck crossing, where customs clearance takes place.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/el-centro-naf-airport-vraciu-field-airport-njk](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/el-centro-naf-airport-vraciu-field-airport-njk)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/el-centro-naf-airport-vraciu-field-airport-njk](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/el-centro-naf-airport-vraciu-field-airport-njk)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/el-centro-naf-airport-vraciu-field-airport-njk/llm-summary*