Fairbanks International
FAI · PAFA · Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks North Star County · map
Fairbanks International is a public-use airport owned by the State of Alaska Dotpf, 3 miles southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, 439 feet above sea level. It has 3 runways; the longest, 02L/20R, is 11,800 feet of asphalt. It has 1 water landing area. It has a control tower and fuel (100LL avgas, Jet A-1).
Weather right now PAFA · observed 11:53 am AKDT (19:53 UTC), 44 minutes ago
IFR instrument conditions
- Wind calm
- Visibility 7 miles
- Sky: a broken layer at 800 feet, a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 3,500 feet
- Weather: light snow
- Temperature 34°F (1°C), dew point 31°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter 29.67 inHg
The forecast issued Tue 10:14 am AKDT (18:14 UTC), good until Wed 4:00 pm AKDT (00:00 UTC)
- From Tue 10:00 am AKDT (18:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, light showers snow rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet IFR
- At times between Tue 10:00 am AKDT (18:00 UTC) and 11:00 am AKDT (19:00 UTC): visibility 3 miles, mist MVFR
- From Tue 12:00 pm AKDT (20:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, scattered clouds at 500 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet MVFR
- From Tue 5:00 pm AKDT (01:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 500 feet IFR
- From Wed 4:00 am AKDT (12:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 3 miles, light snow showers, overcast at 500 feet IFR
The codes as issued (METAR and TAF)
METAR PAFA 061953Z 00000KT 7SM -SN BKN008 BKN012 OVC035 01/M01 A2967 RMK AO2 SLP056 P0000 T00111006 $
TAF PAFA 061814Z 0618/0724 VRB03KT 6SM -SHSNRA BR OVC006 TEMPO 0618/0619 3SM BR FM062000 00000KT P6SM VCSH SCT005 OVC020 FM070100 00000KT P6SM VCSH BKN005 FM071200 00000KT 3SM -SHSN OVC005
From the National Weather Service's aviation weather service, refreshed every few minutes; times are local to the airport with UTC in brackets. For a flight, get your briefing from Flight Service or an approved provider.
The airport
- Codes
- FAA FAI · ICAO PAFA
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- State of Alaska Dotpf
- Elevation
- 439 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- A control tower with a TRACON · around the clock
- Attended
- around the clock
- Lights
- beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas, Jet A-1
- Repairs
- airframe: major repairs; engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangar
- Notes
- landing fee · certified for airline service (Part 139)
- On the chart
- Fairbanks sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 15E
- In the FAA's files since
- June 1951
Runways 4
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02L/20R | 11,800 × 150 ft | Asphalt, good | High-intensity lights |
| 02W/20W | 5,400 × 100 ft | Water | |
| 02R/20L | 4,510 × 75 ft | Asphalt, good | Medium-intensity lights |
| 02/20 | 2,900 × 75 ft | Gravel |
- Runway 02L: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, approach lights with sequenced flashers (ALSF-2), threshold displaced 750 ft, 11,050 ft available for landing, tree 72 ft high 2,711 ft from the end
- Runway 20R: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR), threshold displaced 750 ft, 11,050 ft available for landing, tree 86 ft high 3,096 ft from the end
- Runway 02W: fence 14 ft high 553 ft from the end
- Runway 20W: fence 11 ft high 505 ft from the end
- Runway 02R: PAPI, four lights on the left, right-hand traffic pattern, trees 79 ft high 2,175 ft from the end
- Runway 20L: PAPI, four lights on the left
Radio frequencies
| ATIS (recorded airport information) · Fai and automated weather (ASOS) | 124.4 | Fairbanks |
| Clearance delivery | 127.6 | Fairbanks |
| Ground | 121.9 | Fairbanks |
| Tower | 118.3 | Fairbanks |
| Approach and departure · Terminal radar service · Approach arriving from headings 180 to 359 | 125.35 | Fairbanks |
| Approach and departure · Terminal radar service · Approach arriving from headings 360 to 179 | 127.1 | Fairbanks |
| Approach (secondary) | 119.85 | Fairbanks |
| Emergency · Fai and flight Service | 121.5 | Fairbanks |
| Fai and flight Service | 122.2 | Fairbanks |
| Fai and flight Service | 124.1 | Fairbanks |
| Fai and flight Service | 132.65 | Fairbanks |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 907-621-7609.
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.
Aircraft registered in Fairbanks from the FAA register
844 aircraft are registered to owners in Fairbanks, Alaska: 628 piston singles, 63 piston twins, 51 drones, 46 turboprops, 27 airliners and large jets. 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, never named. All aircraft registered in Alaska.
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 80 since 1982, 4 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file
- Traffic pattern altitude (single engine reciprocating aircraft) 1500 feet above sea level. Traffic pattern altitude (all MULTI-ENGINE, large and TURBINE-POWERED aircraft) 2000 feet above sea level.
- Alaska international sys.
- Runway 02/20 not available for part 121/PART 380 operations with schedule passenger carrying operations more than 9 passenger seats and unscheduled passenger carrying operations more than 30 passenger seats. Summer and ski strip winter use; available local NOTAM and the control tower bfr arrival or departure.
- Runway 02R/20L not available for part 121/PART 380 operations with schedule passenger carrying operations more than 9 passenger seats and unscheduled passenger carrying operations more than 30 passenger seats.
- Unusable beyond 8 degreess right of centerline.
- The control tower 538 MS the control tower 64 48 39.438 north 147 50 55.722 west.
- Birds in the vicinity of spring - fall.
- Ctn: SN removal equip 1 oct 1 - may 15.
- Military contr fuel available.
- Noise abatement procedure in effect 10:00 pm to 8:00 am; large, turbine and hvy arrival runway 02L; departure runway 20R based on wind. Eng runup lct - airport operations.
- Ctn: avoid landing on taxiway; north/south taxiway parl to runway 02L/20R west side.
- Cold temperature airport. Altitude correction required at or below -29C.
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 5, 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.