Keesler AFB Airport (KBIX), Mississippi
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Keesler AFB (KBIX) is a towered, private-use military airfield in Biloxi, Mississippi, home to Air Force Reserve C-130/WC-130 operations and subject to prior-permission and coordination requirements for transient traffic. The field sits roughly 7.5 nautical miles from Gulfport-Biloxi International, the nearest customs point of entry, and about 70 nautical miles from the nearest metro area. Its single paved runway, 04/22, carries a nonstandard configuration with displaced thresholds and reduced usable takeoff distances that dispatchers should account for when planning operations here.
Runways
Keesler AFB Airport has one paved runway, 04/22, 7,630 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a bituminous surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Keesler AFB Airport has A++ available on the field. The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Keesler AFB Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Gulfport-Biloxi International (KGPT), 8 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Keesler AFB Airport recorded 129 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in June. Business aviation traffic at KBIX is concentrated in June, with a secondary increase in October, while most other months see minimal activity.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month June, 44 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Keesler AFB Airport averages 18.0 days above 90°F in August and 5.1 freeze days in January. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 89.9°F, and January the coldest, at 59.8°F.
Weather station is 4.1 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Keesler AFB Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, weight restrictions, runway notes, environmental and other notes.
Restricted: prior permission required for all transient aircraft; contact airfield management. Taxiway E is 50 feet wide. An aircraft rinse facility (bird bath) on taxiway C is available for C-130 and larger aircraft. Air crews must contact ground control prior to engine start. All C-130 or larger aircraft must face north on taxiway B for maintenance runs or engine run-ups. Pilots should avoid flying over the USAF Medical Center on Back Bay, 1 nautical mile east of the runway, and the VA Hospital on Back Bay, 1 nautical mile west of the runway.
Caution: trees near the marina hinder wind readings, producing low indicated wind speed on runway 22 when wind direction is from 280 to 340 degrees. During augmented or backup weather observation, weather observation is limited to the east, and the visibility marker beyond 1 statute mile is only available in the west-to-north sector. Night flood lighting hinders cloud and visibility observation, and ceilings on the runway 22 approach can run 100 to 200 feet lower than the reported observation from November through March.
Caution: the glide slope antenna is located 250 feet west of the centerline and 1,050 feet from the runway 22 approach end.
Prior permission is required for all aircraft; prior permission is also required for all aircraft following transient maintenance operations — contact airfield management operations.
Miscellaneous: runway 04 displaced threshold dimensions and surface — the first 200 feet is concrete, the next 800 feet has a 75-foot-wide concrete center section with a 37.5-foot non-weight-bearing asphalt edge on each side, and the remaining 598 feet by 150 feet is concrete.
Miscellaneous: runway 22 displaced threshold dimensions and surface — the first 200 by 150 feet is concrete, the next 800 by 75 feet is concrete with a 37.5-foot non-weight-bearing asphalt edge on each side.
A lighted water tower is located 1,775 feet right of the runway 04 centerline and 2,900 feet left of the runway 22 centerline.
Caution: the first 100 feet of the runway end has concrete spherical bollards located 440 feet southwest of the centerline.
Miscellaneous: runway 04 has 6,632 feet available for takeoff from the key-hole; runway 22 has 6,034 feet available for takeoff from the key-hole. See the US Terminal Low Altitude airport sketch for the nonstandard runway 04/22 configuration.
Caution: runway edge lights past the thresholds are more than 10 feet from full-strength pavement. Spot 24/25 light-alls (taxiway B and F) are used when C-17 aircraft are parked during hours of darkness and inclement weather.
Caution: runway hazards, including personnel or equipment, operate randomly, including within 100 feet of the runway, daily.
Caution: large-frame and heavy aircraft make 180-degree turns on the concrete portion of the runway.
Runway surface condition and runway condition reading are not reported during published airfield closed times.
Service and lighting: nonstandard runway edge and taxiway lights; several lights are more than 200 feet apart along the runway, and several taxiway exit lights are missing.
Caution: two infrared lights are out of service, located on the southwest side 950 feet north of the runway 04 threshold and on the northeast side 991 feet south of the runway 22 threshold.
Caution: runway 04/22, taxiway A, taxiway D, and taxiway E lack 25-foot paved shoulders. Taxiway B and taxiway F have 25-foot paved shoulders on only one side.
BASH Phase II bird avoidance procedures are in effect from June 1 to September 30; expect heavier bird activity from sunrise to sunset.
Transient aircraft remaining overnight must arrive by 2100Z Monday through Friday and by 2200Z on Sunday.
Miscellaneous: hangar space is not available during severe weather. COMSEC materials are not available.
Fluids available: SP, Presair, LPOX, LOX.
Miscellaneous: VIP aircraft should contact PTD on frequency 372.2 fifteen minutes prior to landing with a firm chock time. During operating hours, lifeguard, medevac, search and rescue, or mission-essential aircraft should contact airfield management operations one hour prior to arrival for coordination. During non-operating hours, contact the command post one hour prior to request the airfield be opened.
Miscellaneous: Class D airspace is in effect 1400–0500Z Monday through Friday and 1700–2300Z Saturday and Sunday; it is closed on holidays, with unit training assemblies 1900–0500Z on Sunday.
The 403rd Wing (Air Force Reserve Command) operates C-130 and WC-130 aircraft on weekdays.
Helicopter traffic pattern altitude is 500 feet MSL.
Transient alert: transient maintenance operations run 1400–2300Z Monday through Friday. Other times available with prior coordination; contact airfield management operations.
Caution: night vision device training occurs 0200–0500Z on Tuesday and Thursday.
Service and transient alert: no lavatory or potable water service is available.
Caution: on the backline apron, two switches with green boxes measuring 5 feet square each are located within 125 feet of the backline apron.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Keesler AFB Airport has five airfields within 35 NM. The closest is Gulfport-Biloxi International (KGPT), 7.54 NM west.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KBIX
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.
$1,200.00 catering order at KBIX.
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 KBIX open to civilian transient traffic?
KBIX, also known as Keesler AFB, is a private-use military airfield near Biloxi, Mississippi. All transient aircraft require prior permission from airfield management before arrival. Arrival windows are also restricted, with transient RON aircraft required to arrive by set times on weekdays and Sundays. Dispatchers should coordinate with airfield management ops well ahead of any planned mission.
What runway does Keesler AFB offer?
Keesler AFB (KBIX) has a single runway, 04/22, measuring 7,630 feet by 150 feet with a PEM surface. The runway has a nonstandard configuration: displaced threshold sections on both ends combine concrete and non-weight-bearing asphalt edges. Available takeoff distance is reduced from the full length, with 6,632 feet available from the key-hole on runway 04 and 6,034 feet on runway 22.
Where is the nearest customs facility for aircraft using KBIX?
Keesler AFB itself has no listed customs processing on site. The nearest customs airport of entry is KGPT, located about 7.54 nautical miles away. Crews arriving from international origins should plan clearance through KGPT rather than expecting service directly at KBIX.
What kind of business aviation traffic does KBIX see, and when?
Business aviation traffic at KBIX, per FAA TFMSC data for 2025, totals 129 operations against 1,280 annual operations overall. Monthly volumes are uneven, with a clear peak of 44 operations in June and a secondary rise to 24 in October. Several months, including January and December, see close to zero business aviation movements, so planning around the seasonal pattern matters.