Ambler Airport (PAFM), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Ambler Airport (PAFM) is an unattended gravel-dirt strip serving the community of Ambler in northwest Alaska. Cross-border traffic through this facility is light, and customs clearance requires a diversion to a designated airport of entry.
Runways
Ambler Airport has two unpaved runways. The longest, 01/19, is 4,000 ft long and 75 ft wide, with a gravel and dirt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Ambler Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Nome (PAOM), 243 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Ambler Airport recorded 523 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in July. Business aviation operations at PAFM peak in July and August, well above the monthly levels seen the rest of the year.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month July, 97 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Operating constraints
Ambler Airport has published operating constraints in three categories: access, runway notes and other notes.
The runway slopes uphill from east to west by approximately 80 feet.
The PAPI for runway 01, the MIRL for runways 01/19 and 10/28, and the windsock lights are activated via CTAF.
The runway has crowns in the center, and there is no line of sight between the runway ends.
The runway surface is compacted gravel, rock, and dirt. The surface type is listed as gravel-dirt.
Caribou may be present in the vicinity of the runway.
Runway conditions are not monitored. A visual inspection prior to landing is recommended.
The rotating beacon is activated via CTAF.
A weather camera is available on the internet at https://weathercams.faa.gov.
This is a cold temperature airport. Altitude correction is required at or below -36C.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Skystar at PAFM
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$600.00 catering order at PAFM.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
The $75 minimum applies below $862.50.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
Is customs clearance available at PAFM?
PAFM has no onsite customs service. The nearest customs airport of entry is PAOM, located approximately 243 nautical miles away, so arriving aircraft needing to clear customs must plan a stop there first.
What runway options are available at Ambler Airport?
Ambler Airport has two gravel-dirt runways: 01/19 at 4,000 feet by 75 feet, and 10/28 at 2,400 feet by 60 feet. Neither runway is paved, and both surfaces are compacted gravel, rock, and dirt.
Are there any operational hazards to know about before landing at PAFM?
PAFM's runway has crowns in the center with no line of sight between runway ends, and the surface slopes uphill from east to west by approximately 80 feet. Runway conditions are not monitored, so a visual inspection prior to landing is recommended.