King Felipe and Queen Letizia were in San Javier last week where they presided over the commissioning of 99 new officers into the Spanish Air Force.

The parade took place on the main Academy square where the students were formed up, as their family and friends looked on.

The KIng, 30 years after his own commissioning at the hands of his father, King Juan Carlos I, in 1989, review the parade after which the military vicar general, the Reverend Juan del Río, carried out the reading of a prayer of thanksgiving in honour of the Virgin of Loreto, patron of the Air Force.

In addition to the king and Queen that parade was attended by the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Alejo de la Torre, the chief of the General Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Javier Salto; the colonel director of the AGA, Miguel Iborra and a number of other military authorities.

Civil authorities included the acting president of the Community, Fernando López Miras; the president of the Regional Assembly, Alberto Castillo; the government delegate, Francisco Jiménez; and the mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo.

Following the ceremony the director of the AGA, Colonel Miguel Ivorra Ruiz, handed over command of the base to the new director, Colonel Manuel de la Chica Camúñez.