Watertown Regional
ATY · KATY · Watertown, South Dakota · Codington County · map
Watertown Regional is a public-use airport owned by the City of Watertown, 2 miles northwest of Watertown, South Dakota, 1,749 feet above sea level. It has 2 runways; the longest, 12/30, is 6,898 feet of concrete. It has fuel (100LL avgas, Jet A) and about 52 general-aviation aircraft based on the field by the FAA's count. The FAA counts about 12,276 takeoffs and landings a year. About 13,926 passengers boarded flights here in the FAA's fiscal year 2024.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Watertown Regional?
Its FAA code is ATY, and its ICAO code is KATY.
Where is Watertown Regional?
It is 2 miles northwest of Watertown, South Dakota, 1,749 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at Watertown Regional?
The longest of its 2 runways, 12/30, is 6,898 feet long.
Does Watertown Regional have a control tower?
No, it has no control tower.
What fuel can you buy at Watertown Regional?
The FAA's airport file lists 100LL avgas, Jet A.
Where can you fly nonstop from Watertown Regional?
Airline flights go to 6 airports, the busiest of them Denver International, Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain, Watertown Regional, Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field, Laramie Regional. Every route
Are there flight schools at Watertown Regional?
2 flight schools, flying clubs or college flight programmes are based within about 15 miles of it: Lake Area Technical College and Lake Area Technical Institute. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Watertown Regional?
2 pilot examiners and 3 aviation medical examiners work within 50 nautical miles. See them by name
Weather and planning now, the forecast, warnings, pilot reports, winds aloft, restrictions
Fetching the weather now, the forecast, the warnings in force, pilot reports and the winds aloft for Watertown Regional…
Wind map live wind over the area, from Windy.com
Colours show wind speed, the moving lines its direction; drag the time bar for the coming days. Map and forecast by Windy.com.
The airport facts, runways, radio, fuel and services, the FAA's remarks
The airport
- Codes
- FAA ATY · ICAO KATY
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- City of Watertown
- Elevation
- 1,749 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- No control tower
- Attended
- every day, 4:30 am to 8:30 pm
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100LL avgas, Jet A; the services card below
- Notes
- landing fee · certified for airline service (Part 139)
- On the chart
- Twin Cities sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 6E
- In the FAA's files since
- December 1937
Runways 2
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/30 | 6,898 × 100 ft | Concrete, excellent | Medium-intensity lights |
| 17/35 | 6,893 × 100 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
- Runway 12: PAPI, four lights on the left
- Runway 30: PAPI, four lights on the left, tree 51 ft high 2,013 ft from the end
- Runway 17: PAPI, four lights on the left
- Runway 35: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR), building 83 ft high 3,775 ft from the end
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) · UNICOM | 123.05 | |
| Aty and automated weather (ASOS) | 126.625 | |
| Watertown and center (remote transmitter) Low | 128.5 |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 605-882-0578.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas, Jet A
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Also here
- air freight, crop spraying, air ambulance, cargo handling, charter flights, flight instruction, aircraft rental, aircraft sales
- Notes
- landing fee charged
Other fields with jet fuel nearby: Clark County (24 nm west), Brookings Regional (39 nm south), Ortonville Muni/Martinson Field (39 nm northeast).
The FAA's file records what is sold and done at the field, as the airport manager reports it, not who sells it or the price; fuel sellers (FBOs) are not named in any public file. Airports selling jet fuel in South Dakota · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Gulls and geese on and in the vicinity of airport APR-NOV.
- Activate approach lights (MALSR) runway 35; PAPI runway 12, 17, 30, and 35; high-intensity runway lights runway 17/35; medium-intensity runway lights runway 12/30; runway end identifier lights runway 12, 17, and 30 - the common traffic frequency.
- Glider operations apr through sep.
- Annually APRIL- sept hay cutting operations in progress; farming equip may be in approaches.
- Airport surface condition not monitored 10:30 pm to 4:30 am.
- Glider operations prohibited on taxiway D.
Flights and activity in the air now, the airlines, based aircraft, takeoffs and landings
Activity now checking the volunteer receiver network…
Within ten miles
- Looking…
Arrivals and departures, last hour
- Looking…
From the volunteer receiver network, a few minutes behind at most; aircraft whose owners asked the FAA not to be displayed are left out; no person is named. Open the live map here.
Scheduled and charter flights from here the DOT's airline reports · August 2025 to July 2026
Airlines reported 736 departures from ATY in those twelve months, carrying 13,788 passengers in 36,856 seats (37% filled), to 6 destinations on 1 airline.
| Where to | Flights | Passengers | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown Regional → Denver International ATY–DEN | 364 | 8,043 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
| Watertown Regional → Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain ATY–MSP | 359 | 5,745 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
| Watertown Regional → Watertown Regional ATY–ATY | 10 | 0 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
| Watertown Regional → Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field ATY–BFF | 1 | 0 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
| Watertown Regional → Laramie Regional ATY–LAR | 1 | 0 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
| Watertown Regional → Chicago O'Hare International ATY–ORD | 1 | 0 | SkyWest Airlines Inc. |
All 6 destinations, the airlines and the aircraft, month by month
From the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' T-100 table: every segment an airline reported flying, three months in arrears. Private, business and training flights are not in it; the live picture is in the activity card.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 43 |
| multi-engine | 4 |
| jets | 3 |
| other | 2 |
The FAA's count is the general-aviation aircraft kept on the field (singles, twins, business jets, helicopters) from its Terminal Area Forecast, the latest year with an actual count; airline fleets are never counted as based anywhere, so a big airline airport shows a small number. The register section below shows how many aircraft are registered to owners in town, a different measure again.
Takeoffs and landings a year about 12,276, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| airline | 676 |
| air taxi and commuter | 600 |
| general aviation, travelling | 3,000 |
| general aviation, local | 8,000 |
Local flights stay in the traffic pattern or nearby, often practice; travelling flights arrive from or leave for somewhere else. Counts at airports without a tower are the FAA's estimates. How this compares nationally: Airports by the numbers.
Who flies and works here aircraft registered in town, the companies, the examiners nearby
Aircraft registered in Watertown from the FAA register
66 aircraft are registered to owners in Watertown, South Dakota: 44 piston singles, 6 turboprops, 4 piston twins, 3 weight-shift and powered parachutes, 3 helicopters. Not every one of them is based at this airport; the based-aircraft count above is the FAA's figure for this airport alone.
Companies and organisations in town with two or more aircraft:
Individuals are counted, not named (the site's policy at this time). All aircraft registered in South Dakota.
Who works here from the FAA's certificate lists and the register
Flight schools, flying clubs and college flight programmes based within about 15 miles:
- Lake Area Technical College 9 aircraft · Watertown Lake Area Technical College is a technical college in Watertown, South Dakota, serving more than 2,600 students across 30+ programs.
- Lake Area Technical Institute 4 aircraft · Watertown Lake Area Technical College is a technical college in Watertown, South Dakota that operates an FAA Part 147-certified Aviation Maintenance Technology program.
Companies in the same town as this airport, and schools within about 15 miles of it (each placed at the main public airport of its town, or at the town's centre); not every one of them works from this field. All operators · all repair stations · all flight schools · all FBOs.
Examiners and inspectors nearby designated by the FAA · within 50 nautical miles
2 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 2 for private pilot, 2 for commercial and instrument, 1 for airline transport pilot, 2 for flight instructor, 1 for type ratings; 2 for airplanes, 1 for multi-engine airplanes. Also nearby: 3 aviation medical examiners, 1 mechanic examiner.
- Anthony Hentges private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor; airplanes · Canby Airport · Canby, MN (39 nm) · (507) 829-0351 · [email protected]
- Sheldon Andrew Rasmussen private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, type ratings, private pilot (proficiency); airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Brookings, SD (39 nm) · (605) 695-5216 · [email protected]
All 6 nearby, by kind, with contact details
What each kind does
- DPE: Designated Pilot Examiner: gives the practical tests (checkrides) for pilot certificates and ratings.
- AME: Aviation Medical Examiner: a doctor who issues the medical certificates pilots must hold.
- DME: Designated Mechanic Examiner: tests candidates for the mechanic certificate (airframe and powerplant).
Designees are listed with the name and contact details the FAA publishes for them on its designee locator (read October 10, 2026): the FAA lists them so that pilots, mechanics and companies can find them. Private individuals are not named, the site's policy at this time. A designee who would rather not appear here can ask us through the contact address on the About page. Each designee is placed at the main public airport of the town the FAA lists (or the nearest one to its zip code), so "nearby" means the town, not an exact address. All examiners by state.
Safety record the NTSB's cases at or near this airport
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 8 since 1982, 3 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English. The country as a whole: Where accidents happen.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
Connections how this airport links to the rest of the register
- Aircraft registered in Watertown 66 aircraft · 44 piston singles, 6 turboprops, 4 piston twins
- Lake Area Technical College 9 aircraft in town
- Aty Aviation INC 7 aircraft in town
- Lake Area Technical Institute 4 aircraft in town
- Fast AG Air LLC 3 aircraft in town
- Lake Area Technical College 9 aircraft · university or college with a flight programme
- Lake Area Technical Institute 4 aircraft · university or college with a flight programme
- Denver International (DEN) 364 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain (MSP) 359 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- Watertown Regional (ATY) 10 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field (BFF) 1 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- Laramie Regional (LAR) 1 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) 1 flights in twelve months · SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 8 since 1982 · 3 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in South Dakota 467 since 1982 · 67 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in South Dakota 70 landing places
- South Dakota 2,274 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/ATY.json.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 1, 2026, written out in plain English; weather from the National Weather Service's aviation weather service; registered aircraft from the FAA register as of October 26, 2026; accidents from the NTSB's public database. Owners are shown only when they are an organisation; no person is named. Check the official sources before a flight: this page is for understanding an airport, not for planning one.