Cyril E King Airport (TIST), U.S. Virgin Islands
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Cyril E King Airport serves Charlotte Amalie and the wider St. Thomas area in the US Virgin Islands, functioning as the principal air gateway for the territory. The field is towered and handles a mix of commercial and business aviation traffic, with onsite customs clearance supporting international arrivals. A single asphalt runway, terrain framed by hills and water, and nighttime visual approach cautions make local procedural awareness a factor for crews operating here.
Runways
Cyril E King Airport has one paved runway, 10/28, 7,000 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Cyril E King Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 7am to 11pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Cyril E King 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
Cyril E King Airport recorded 11,961 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in December. Business aviation traffic at TIST is concentrated in the winter and late-fall months, with December, November, and May showing the highest monthly operations while June through August see the lowest volumes.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month December, 1,281 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Cyril E King Airport averages 15.6 days above 90°F in August. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 89.8°F, and January the coldest, at 84.1°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Cyril E King Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, pavement strength and other notes.
Fuel is available from 0700 to 1900; at other times, prior permission is required.
A 50-foot sailboat mast is located 100 feet west of the approach end of Runway 10.
Pilots may encounter false illusory indications during night visual approaches to Runway 10 when using visual cues for vertical guidance; use of the ILS glideslope and frequent cross-reference with the aircraft altimeter is recommended to maintain the proper approach profile.
Lights on a hill 4 nautical miles southeast of the airport may be mistaken for Runway 10/28 when making a visual approach from the south.
There is a sailboat mast obstruction 100 feet west of the approach end of Runway 10, at 50 feet AGL.
Aircraft that back-taxi for departure on Runway 28 must make their 180-degree turn counterclockwise.
The high-intensity runway lights for Runway 10/28 operate from dusk until 2300. After 2300, activate the Runway 10/28 lights, the Runway 10 PAPI, and the Runway 10 REIL using CTAF.
Runway 10 departures should maintain runway heading until reaching the departure end of the runway before turning on course or to an assigned heading, unless otherwise authorized by the control tower.
This is a noise-sensitive area: avoid overflights of Water Island, located 2 miles southeast of the airport.
PCR VALUE: 790/F/A/X/T
ARFF is unavailable from 2300 to 0600.
Pilots should contact ground control prior to pushback.
When the tower is closed, contact San Juan CERAP.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Cyril E King Airport has three airfields within 40 NM. The closest is Antonio Rivera Rodriguez (TJVQ), 32.06 NM west.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at TIST
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 TIST.
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 customs available at TIST for international arrivals?
Cyril E King Airport (TIST) offers onsite CBP inspection services, along with a USDA compliance agreement covering agricultural items. This makes TIST a straightforward stop for aircraft arriving from outside the United States, without requiring a diversion to another port of entry. Dispatchers should still confirm hours of CBP staffing directly, since inspection availability can vary by shift. The airport's attendance schedule runs from 0700 to 2300 daily, and customs support should be planned within that operating window.
What is the runway configuration at KSTT / TIST?
Cyril E King Airport, identified as TIST or KSTT, has a single paved runway, 10/28, measuring 7,000 feet long and 150 feet wide with an asphalt surface. This single-runway layout handles all fixed-wing traffic at the field, including business aviation operations that made up roughly 42 percent of the 28,248 annual operations recorded in FAA TFMSC data for 2025. Runway 10 approaches carry specific visual illusion cautions at night, and Runway 28 departures require a counterclockwise back-taxi turn. Pilots should review the field's obstruction and lighting remarks before planning either runway direction.
Are there fuel restrictions at TIST outside normal hours?
Fuel at Cyril E King Airport (TIST) is available from 0700 to 1900, with prior permission required outside that window. Both 100LL and Jet A are stocked at the field. Because the requirement applies specifically to hours beyond the published window, aircraft arriving late in the evening or overnight should coordinate fuel needs in advance. The broader field attendance schedule extends to 2300 daily, so fuel service hours are narrower than general airport attendance.
What obstruction should pilots be aware of on approach to Runway 10 at TIST?
A sailboat mast reaching 50 feet AGL sits 100 feet west of the approach end of Runway 10 at Cyril E King Airport (TIST). This obstruction is noted separately in the airport's remarks and warrants attention during visual and instrument approaches to that runway end. Pilots flying Runway 10 at night should also cross-reference the ILS glideslope with the aircraft altimeter, since visual cues alone have produced false vertical guidance indications during nighttime visual approaches. Ground lights on a hill 4 nautical miles southeast of the airport have also been mistaken for the runway when approaching from the south.
Is ARFF coverage continuous at TIST?
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting coverage at Cyril E King Airport (TIST) is unavailable between 2300 and 0600. Operators planning arrivals or departures during those overnight hours should factor this gap into their risk assessment. The airport's attendance schedule of 0700 to 2300 aligns closely with this ARFF window, meaning ARFF coverage generally tracks staffed hours at the field. Flights requiring guaranteed ARFF support should schedule operations outside the 2300-0600 period.