Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ), serving Carlsbad, California, is a towered, single-runway field about 5.6 nautical miles from the metro area that handles a steady mix of business aviation traffic under FAA oversight. The airport reports both 100LL and Jet A fuel, on-site CBP inspection services, and a USDA compliance agreement, making it a workable option for international arrivals in the region despite its Tier 2 traffic volume. Its single asphalt runway, 06/24, along with a range of noise abatement and parking constraints, shapes much of the day-to-day operating picture at KCRQ.
Runways
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport has one paved runway, 06/24, 4,897 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Helipads and surfaces under 500 ft are excluded.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 7am to 10pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals. A USDA compliance agreement is in place.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport recorded 24,882 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in July, August and November. Business aviation traffic at KCRQ builds through summer, peaking in August at 2,329 operations before easing back toward the low 1,800s-2,000s range in the winter months.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month August, 2,329 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport averages 1.1 days above 90°F in October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 75.8°F, and February the coldest, at 64.0°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport has published operating constraints in seven categories: access, weight restrictions, runway notes, noise procedures, environmental, pavement strength and other notes.
Multiple approaches by large aircraft, including large helicopters, are not authorized.
Jets are requested to fly the ILS approach.
Prior permission is required for all military aircraft; call the airport manager.
Multiple practice approaches and landings by all aircraft are discouraged between 2200 and 0700 local time.
Use caution regarding thermal plumes in the vicinity of a power plant approximately 2.7 nautical miles west-northwest of the airport.
For clearance delivery when the control tower is closed, contact SoCal Approach.
The north side ramp is limited to aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or less.
When the control tower is closed, activate the high-intensity runway lights for runway 06/24, the PAPI for runways 06 and 24, and the MALSR for runway 24 via CTAF.
Runway 24 is the calm wind runway.
Runway 24 is hard to see up to two hours prior to sunset; do not mistake taxiway A for the runway.
The runway 06/24 south VFR traffic pattern is closed between 2200 and 0700 local time.
The airport has noise abatement procedures in place; contact the airport manager for details.
No jet aircraft training is permitted due to noise abatement requirements and traffic congestion.
Extensive bird activity occurs in the vicinity, especially in spring.
PCR VALUE: 454/F/C/X/T
Standard heliport markings are in place.
Power lines are located two miles west and southwest of the airport.
A voluntary curfew applies: jets from 2200 to 0700 local time and propeller aircraft from 0000 to 0600 local time, with emergency, lifeguard, and law enforcement flights excepted.
Transient tie-down space on the public ramp is limited.
When the tower is closed, aircraft must self-announce on CTAF prior to landing or takeoff.
Transient parking is limited to small single and twin engine aircraft with wingspans under 38 feet.
No jet aircraft parking is allowed in transient parking.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport has five airfields within 21 NM. The closest is Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield (KOKB), 6.47 NM northwest.
Part of the Orange County and San Diego area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KCRQ
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 KCRQ.
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
What fuel is available at KCRQ?
McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ) stocks both 100LL and Jet A fuel, with an attendance schedule of 0700 to 2200 local, seven days a week. This coverage supports the bulk of business aviation traffic the field handles, which totaled 24,882 operations in 2025. Pilots should still confirm fuel availability directly given the field's single-runway, moderate-traffic profile.
Can jets operate at KCRQ?
Jet operations are permitted at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ), but jet training flights are not authorized due to noise abatement and traffic congestion concerns. A voluntary curfew also applies to jets between 2200 and 0700 local time, with exceptions for emergency, lifeguard, and law enforcement flights. Jets are additionally requested to fly the ILS approach, and jet parking in transient parking is not allowed.
Is customs available at KCRQ?
McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ) offers on-site CBP inspection services along with a USDA compliance agreement, supporting international arrivals without requiring a diversion to another customs facility. This on-site capability is notable for a Tier 2 airport with moderate annual traffic. Operators should coordinate arrival details in advance given the airport's overall traffic and parking constraints.
What are the parking restrictions at KCRQ?
Transient parking at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ) is limited to small single and twin engine aircraft with wingspans under 38 feet, and jet aircraft parking is not allowed in transient parking at all. The north side ramp is separately limited to aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or less. Transient tie-down space on the public ramp is also described as limited, so operators should plan parking arrangements ahead of arrival.