Elmendorf AFB Airport (PAED), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Elmendorf AFB (PAED) is a private-use, towered military installation in Anchorage, Alaska, operating under FAR Part 93 special air traffic rules. The field sits close to several other Anchorage-area airports, including Merrill Field 2.52 nautical miles away and Ted Stevens Anchorage International 7.23 nautical miles distant, and it functions within an active restricted area, R2203. Access is governed by a prior permission required process rather than open transient use, reflecting its role as a host installation for fighter and airlift operations.
Runways
Elmendorf AFB Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 06/24, is 10,000 ft long and 200 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Elmendorf AFB Airport has J8 available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Elmendorf AFB Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Merrill Field (PAMR), 3 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Elmendorf AFB Airport recorded 1,313 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April, June and August. Business aviation traffic at Elmendorf AFB concentrates in the spring and summer months, with operations dropping notably in November and December according to FAA TFMSC data.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month August, 144 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Elmendorf AFB Airport averages 30.6 freeze days in December. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 68.4°F, and January the coldest, at 22.6°F.
Weather station is 2.5 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Elmendorf AFB Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, weight restrictions, runway notes, noise procedures and other notes.
During VMC departures, missed approaches, and go-arounds, aircraft shall maintain at or below 1200 feet MSL until the departure end of Runway 06.
All transient aircraft require prior permission; contact the Airfield Manager.
Submit the PPR form through the PAED GIANT Report system to Base Ops via email, no earlier than 30 days and no later than 48 hours prior to arrival. PPR is issued no earlier than 7 days prior to arrival.
Aircraft requiring cables de-rigged should contact Base Ops 24 hours prior to arrival, or request this prior to PPR issuance.
Except during Elmendorf major command exercises, deployed or staged units should contact the 3rd Wing Scheduling office as soon as possible for local area briefing, maintenance sponsorship, and the visiting unit familiarization form required for 3rd Operations Group Commander approval prior to local operations.
Jet aircraft starting units (JASU) in use are A/M32A-86, MC-1A, MC-2A, and AM32A-60A. The AM32-95 delivers 150 plus or minus 5 pounds per minute (2055 plus or minus 68 CFM) at 51 plus or minus 0.2 PSIA. LASS delivers 150 plus or minus 5 pounds per minute at 49 plus or minus 2 PSIA.
Caution: a three-quarter inch centerline surface depression, 19 feet long, is located 487 feet from the Runway 24 end. 180-degree turns between Taxiway D and the runway intersection are not authorized.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 8 degrees either side of the runway centerline.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 7 degrees right of the runway centerline.
Hold short line signs are not available on intersecting runways.
Night vision device operations occur on Runway 06/24 Monday through Friday, 0400-1000Z and later.
Caution: unlighted terrain at 0 feet AGL, 341 feet MSL, is located 1909 feet prior to the threshold and 1914 feet right of course.
The normal barrier configuration during the fighter fly window leaves 5675 feet between cables on Runway 06/24; outside of fighter fly windows, there is 7658 feet between cables.
Transient alert service is limited to POL servicing, intake, magnetic chip detector inspection, and end-of-runway inspection.
RCR/RSC and field RCR are reported by the airport traffic control tower. Runway condition code and field condition are not reported.
The elbow end of the runway and Taxiway R are restricted to fighters only when fighters are staged on the elbow end of the runway.
If unable to meet R2203 departure restrictions, advise ATC prior to departure; consider a Runway 24 departure. See ATC notes in the GIANT report.
Quiet hours are 0630-1400Z on weekdays and 0630-1600Z on weekends and holidays; AMC aircraft are exempt.
Closed indefinitely.
Hangar space and warm storage are limited from October through May.
Preventive maintenance schedule: TACAN on Wednesday and Friday 1600-1700Z; ILS on Tuesday and Thursday 1500-1700Z; PAR Saturday-Sunday 1800-2000Z; ASR Saturday-Sunday 2000-2200Z.
Fighter arrivals expect reduced separation: same-type aircraft and daylight conditions allow 3000 feet; dissimilar aircraft and/or night conditions require 6000 feet; ahead or behind formation landings require 6000 feet.
Caution: a ridge extending from 260 to 020 degrees, 1 to 2 miles from the tower, blocks observation of fog over Knik Arm. Visibility may drop rapidly as fog pours over the ridge.
Maintain idle power on the outboard engine during taxi.
Frequent activity occurs in R2203; contact the airport traffic control tower when unable to avoid it.
Special ATC rules apply under FAR Part 93; see regulatory notices in the supplement.
Limited weekend maintenance service is available.
JOAP, the Joint Oil Analysis Program, is available. Low and high pressure nitrogen servicing (LHNIT) is available. JOAP and nitrogen servicing are provided during duty hours, with after-hours service on request. Type 1 de-ice fluid is Liftoff P-88; Type 4 anti-ice fluid is Clariant Safewing MP-Launch.
Oil grades available: O-123, O-128, O-133, O-148, O-156, JOAP.
Fluid services available: Presair and nitrogen (LHNIT).
IFF service is available.
Caution: IFR operations occur between 1500 and 2000 feet MSL from BGQ 092 radial at 10 miles into R2203-EDF 320 radial at 7 miles, in the vicinity of Big Lake, Palmer, Birchwood, Goosebay, and Wasilla, Alaska. This occurs Monday through Saturday 0300-0800Z and later, and Tuesday and Thursday 1800-2200Z and later.
DV spots 1 and 3 are limited to aircraft with wingspans of 136 feet or less.
Taxiways N2 and N5 are closed.
Airfield management COMSEC storage is not available; COMSEC storage is handled through the Command Post.
Customs and agricultural inspection requires contacting Base Ops at least 90 minutes prior to arrival.
AMC-assigned mission aircraft should expect maintenance service through the 732nd Air Mobility Squadron.
Local sorties or aircraft deploying to or from Elmendorf AFB must have maintenance personnel required to complete operations, including de-ice personnel during cold weather. Transient alert support for deployed aircraft is not available beyond initial block-in.
Non-AMC missions requiring 732nd Air Mobility Squadron maintenance service should expect possible delay.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Elmendorf AFB Airport has five airfields within 21 NM. The closest is Merrill Field (PAMR), 2.52 NM southwest.
Part of the Southern Alaska area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at PAED
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.
$2,400.00 catering order at PAED.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
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 fuel available at PAED for civilian business aircraft?
Elmendorf AFB (PAED) lists only J8 fuel in its records, with no Jet A on the field. This is a military fuel grade, and its availability to transient civilian operators should not be assumed without prior coordination through Base Ops. Any aircraft planning to operate through PAED needs to confirm fuel support as part of the PPR process well before arrival. Given the private, restricted-access nature of this Air Force installation, dispatchers should treat fuel as a coordination item rather than a standing service.
Does KTED or nearby Ted Stevens Anchorage International serve as the customs point for PAED?
Elmendorf AFB (PAED) has no onsite customs processing according to the data on file. The nearest customs facility is PAMR, located 2.52 nautical miles away. Because PAED is a private-use military airfield, any customs and agricultural inspection requires contacting Base Ops at least 90 minutes prior to arrival per field remarks. This is separate from simply diverting to a customs airport, since arrangements must be made directly with the host wing. Crews should not assume walk-up customs service is available on the installation itself.
What is the PPR process for arriving at Elmendorf AFB?
All transient aircraft at Elmendorf AFB (PAED) require prior permission, submitted through the PAED GIANT Report system to the base operations email address. The form must be filed no earlier than 30 days and no later than 48 hours before arrival, and PPR approval is issued no earlier than 7 days prior to arrival. This applies to all transient traffic, as noted directly in the field remarks. Operators should also expect that non-AMC missions requiring 732 AMS maintenance support may experience delays. Coordination with the Airfield Manager is required for every arrival regardless of mission type.
What runways are available at PAED and are there any closures?
Elmendorf AFB (PAED) has two paved asphalt runways: 06/24 at 10,000 feet by 200 feet, and 16/34 at 7,493 feet by 150 feet. Field remarks note that Runway 16/34 is closed indefinitely. The same remarks describe a three-quarter inch centerline surface depression on that runway, located 19 feet long and 487 feet from the Runway 24 end, along with a restriction on 180-degree turns between Taxiway D and the runway intersection. Runway 06/24 remains the operational runway for arrivals and departures at this installation.
How does business aviation traffic at PAED vary through the year?
Elmendorf AFB (PAED) shows a clear seasonal pattern in business aviation operations based on FAA TFMSC data for 2025. Monthly bizav operations peak in the spring and summer months, reaching 144 in August and 141 in April, compared to lows of 57 in December and 61 in November. This reflects a concentration of activity in the warmer months versus the winter period. Dispatchers planning operations into this Alaska installation during November and December should expect notably lighter traffic levels than the mid-year months.