Chadian authorities were on Friday in full control of the Faya-Largeau base after French military chiefs officially handed over the northern compound - marking another step in France's complete withdrawal from Chad.
The handover ceremony took place on Thursday in the presence of Chadian civil and military officials.
The 30 French personnel stationed at the airfield have returned to the capital, N'Djamena, and several tons of equipment will be flown back to France in the coming days.
"The handover took place in accordance with the calendar and the conditions agreed with Chad," said France's military chief of staff.
The 100 remaining French troops stationed in Abéché, eastern Chad, will be the next to leave, followed by the final evacuation of personnel from Camp Kossei in N'Djamena.
On 20 December, Chad gave France six weeks to clear out its military personnel. The order came less than a month after Chad said it wanted to terminate the security and defence agreements that have linked it with France since the end of the colonial era.
Surprise move
The declaration caught French diplomats off guard, but Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Déby stressed the move was not intended to strain ties with France, which has also been asked to withdraw troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years.
"The decision in no way constitutes a rejection of international cooperation or a calling into question of our diplomatic relations with France," Déby said. "It is not a question of replacing one power with another."
Chad - the last country in the Sahel to host French forces - remains in political transition since the coup that brought Déby to power in 2020.
The country faces ongoing threats from the jihadist group Boko Haram in the northwest, as well as a significant influx of refugees fleeing conflict and famine in neighbouring Sudan.
French presence since 1940
The Faya-Largeau base, located strategically between the Tibesti and Ennedi mountains, has been central to French military operations in the region since 1941, when Free French forces under General Leclerc used it to launch a campaign in southern Libya during World War II.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
French troops and combat aircraft maintained their presence even after independence in 1960 to train Chadian military personnel.
But since consolidating his position, Déby has veered away from France.
"These agreements are completely obsolete in the face of the political and geostrategic realities of our time," he said.
(with newswires)
