Albert Lea Municipal
AEL · KAEL · Albert Lea, Minnesota · Freeborn County · map
Albert Lea Municipal is a public-use airport owned by the City of Albert Lea, 3 miles north of Albert Lea, Minnesota, 1,261 feet above sea level. It has 2 runways; the longest, 17/35, is 5,000 feet of asphalt. It has fuel (100LL avgas, Jet A, car gas (mogas)) and about 46 general-aviation aircraft based on the field by the FAA's count. The FAA counts about 26,175 takeoffs and landings a year.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Albert Lea Municipal?
Its FAA code is AEL, and its ICAO code is KAEL.
Where is Albert Lea Municipal?
It is 3 miles north of Albert Lea, Minnesota, 1,261 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at Albert Lea Municipal?
The longest of its 2 runways, 17/35, is 5,000 feet long.
Does Albert Lea Municipal have a control tower?
No, it has no control tower.
What fuel can you buy at Albert Lea Municipal?
The FAA's airport file lists 100LL avgas, Jet A, car gas (mogas).
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Albert Lea Municipal?
6 pilot examiners and 6 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 Albert Lea Municipal…
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 AEL · ICAO KAEL
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Owner
- City of Albert Lea
- Elevation
- 1,261 feet above sea level
- Pattern altitude
- 740 feet above the airport
- Control tower
- No control tower
- Attended
- every day, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100LL avgas, Jet A, car gas (mogas); the services card below
- Notes
- landing fee
- On the chart
- Omaha sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 1E
- In the FAA's files since
- March 1942
Runways 2
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17/35 | 5,000 × 100 ft | Asphalt, good | Medium-intensity lights |
| 05/23 | 2,898 × 75 ft | Asphalt, good |
- Runway 17: PAPI, four lights on the left, omnidirectional approach lights (ODALS)
- Runway 35: PAPI, four lights on the left, road 7 ft high 332 ft from the end
Radio frequencies
| Common traffic advisory (CTAF) · UNICOM | 123.0 | |
| Approach and departure | 119.8 | |
| Ael and aWOS-3PT | 119.575 | |
| Rochester and center (remote transmitter) Low | 132.35 |
Automated weather (AWOS-3PT), by phone 507-377-1583.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas, Jet A, car gas (mogas)
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: minor repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Also here
- flight instruction, aircraft rental, aircraft sales
- Notes
- landing fee charged
Other fields with jet fuel nearby: Austin Municipal (19 nm east), Owatonna Degner Regional (27 nm north), Mason City Municipal (31 nm south).
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 Minnesota · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- TV tower 9.5 NM southeast.
- Activate odals runway 17; runway end identifier lights runway 17 and 35; PAPI runway 17 and 35; medium-intensity runway lights runway 17/35 - the common traffic frequency. Medium-intensity runway lights runway 17/35 preset to low sunset to sunrise to incr intst - the common traffic frequency.
- Tie down fee waved with fuel purchase.
- 100LL and mogas fuel available 24 hour with credit card.
- Runway 05 has 5 feet brush 79 feet from the runway end and 79 feet right.
- Gliders and helicopters use grass parallel to runway 17/35 on east side and appr area to runway 23.
- Multiple transitional obstructions runway 05 and runway 35.
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.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 35 |
| multi-engine | 8 |
| jets | 1 |
| helicopters | 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 26,175, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| air taxi and commuter | 2,000 |
| general aviation, travelling | 6,775 |
| general aviation, local | 17,100 |
| military | 300 |
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 Albert Lea from the FAA register
40 aircraft are registered to owners in Albert Lea, Minnesota: 28 piston singles, 5 piston twins, 3 drones, 2 helicopters, 1 business jet. 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 Minnesota.
Examiners and inspectors nearby designated by the FAA · within 50 nautical miles
6 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 6 for private pilot, 6 for commercial and instrument, 4 for airline transport pilot, 6 for flight instructor, 2 for sport pilot, 2 for type ratings; 6 for airplanes, 6 for multi-engine airplanes, 1 for seaplanes. Also nearby: 6 aviation medical examiners, 1 airworthiness representative (maintenance), 2 administrative pilot examiners.
- Darren Schone private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Albert Lea, MN (0 nm) · (507) 383-9366 · [email protected]
- Christopher David Schrodt private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, sport pilot, type ratings, private pilot (proficiency), instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · North Iowa Air Service · Clear Lake, IA (33 nm) · (641) 351-7675 · [email protected]
- John Burkhardt private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, sport pilot, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · North Iowa Air Service · Clear Lake, IA (33 nm) · (641) 330-9290 · [email protected]
- Catherine Bonnie Plasschaert private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Mankato Regional Airport · Mankato, MN (40 nm) · (507) 469-4431 · [email protected]
- Jason Russell Ceminsky private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, type ratings, private pilot (proficiency), instructor renewals, military competency; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Mankato, MN (40 nm) · (507) 779-2118 · [email protected]
- Paul Skjeveland private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes · North Star Aviation · Mankato, MN (40 nm) · (507) 382-2742 · [email protected]
All 15 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.
- DAR-T: Designated Airworthiness Representative, maintenance: issues airworthiness certificates and approvals for aircraft in service.
- Admin-PE: Administrative Pilot Examiner: handles certificate paperwork rather than flight tests.
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 · 4 since 1982, 0 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 Albert Lea 40 aircraft · 28 piston singles, 5 piston twins, 3 drones
- Albert Lea Airport INC 8 aircraft in town
- Bels Holdings LLC 3 aircraft in town
- Heideman AG LLC 2 aircraft in town
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 4 since 1982 · 0 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,542 since 1982 · 207 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in Minnesota 146 landing places
- Minnesota 6,933 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/AEL.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 23, 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.