A military aerodrome was built in Santiago de la Ribera before the Spanish Civil War. Its Bomber School (Escuela de Vuelo de Alta Velocidad) and Multi-Engine Aircraft School (Escuela de polimotores) were used by the Spanish Republican Air Force to train military pilots.

After the Civil War, the airfield was used by the Spanish Air Force as an occasional landing facility. Currently it is the location of Murcia–San Javier Airport, as of August 2018 the largest in the Region of Murcia.