Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport (KNKT), North Carolina
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Cherry Point MCAS, also known as Cunningham Field (KNKT), is a towered military airfield in Cherry Point, North Carolina, supporting substantial business aviation crossover traffic alongside its primary defense mission. The field fields four long paved asphalt runways, the longest at 8,978 feet, and reports 2025 cross-border business aviation traffic of 579 operations against a total annual operations count of 6,459 per FAA TFMSC data. As a restricted-access military installation, arrival procedures, customs coordination, and servicing all run through Base Operations rather than a commercial FBO structure.
Runways
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport has four paved runways. The longest, 14L/32R, is 8,978 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
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport has 100LL and J5 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
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) 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
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport recorded 579 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in September. Business aviation traffic at KNKT concentrates most heavily in the July through September window, with September posting the year's highest monthly count.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month September, 82 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport averages 13.2 days above 90°F in July, 12.6 freeze days in January and 0.2 snow days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 89.8°F, and January the coldest, at 57.1°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems and other notes.
Prior permission is required for weekend arrivals; contact the Operations Duty Officer.
JASU: two working days prior notice required. Two GTC-85 units and one NCPP-105 unit available.
Restricted: a minimum twenty-four hour notice and prior permission is required for all transient aircraft. Contact Base Operations. Flight planning and Base Operations operate twenty-four hours except on federal holidays, when closure or reduced services should be expected per NOTAM. All runways and taxiways, except Taxiway A and Taxiway C, support all aircraft at all weights.
Caution: extensive student jet training, including V/STOL operations, occurs in the vicinity of the airport. Transient aircraft should expect straight-in full-stop landings only during peak student training periods. A bird hazard exists from October through April. Drainage ditches run parallel to all runways. Wildlife hazards are present on the airport, especially around sunset and sunrise. An obstacle approximately 200 feet in height is located near the field on the NKT 205 degree radial at 3 nautical miles.
Customs, agriculture, and immigration: customs and agriculture inspection are available with twenty-four hour prior notice. Refer to the facility guide for details. Aircraft arriving from overseas must contact Operations via phone patch a minimum of two hours prior to arrival for customs.
Miscellaneous: a twenty-four hour prior notice is required for all distinguished visitor codes; contact Base Operations. All aircraft carrying passengers, cargo, or distinguished visitors must contact the Port Traffic Division twenty minutes prior to landing. In air traffic control terminology, centermat is defined as the center of the airfield where the four taxiways intersect, and this area is rated for all aircraft wheel weights.
Transient alert: prior permission is required a minimum of twenty-four hours in advance. For transient aircraft carrying inert ordnance, hot pit refueling is limited to F-18, USAF F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft only, in accordance with the Cherry Point air operations manual.
Traffic pattern: landing and taxi lights are required for all landings. Reduced runway separation is in effect for USN and USMC aircraft.
Aircraft are restricted from taxiing on Taxiway K between Runway 23R and the test cell. Towing operations only in that area.
Arresting gear: all E-28(B) units are in raised position except on the landing runway. A fifteen-minute prior notice is required.
Runway 05L/23R has a Y AMP-3 arresting landing zone painted on the runway. Runway 14R/32L has a W AMP-3 arresting landing zone painted on the runway.
Lighting is available only during hours of operation.
Fuel: hot pit refueling is available.
All aircraft en route to Cherry Point MCAS requiring servicing must contact Base Operations with their request.
Aircraft structural de-icing is available.
Lighting: portable, mobile flood lighting.
Fluids available: SP, presair, HPOX, LOX, de-icing fluid.
Transient alert: limited transient maintenance is available from 1200 to 2100Z and later, Monday through Friday. No lavatory service is available.
See FLIP AP/1 supplementary airport remarks.
Caution: an unlit tower obstacle at NKT200006 stands 549 feet in height.
A minimum twenty-four hour notice is required if anti-icing or de-icing service is needed; contact Transient Aircraft services.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Cherry Point McAs (cunningham Fld) Airport has five airfields within 30 NM. The closest is Coastal Carolina Regional (KEWN), 12.94 NM northwest.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KNKT
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 KNKT.
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 KNKT for international arrivals?
Cherry Point MCAS (Cunningham Field) offers CBP inspection services onsite along with a USDA compliance agreement, but access is not unrestricted. Aircraft arriving from overseas must contact Base Operations via phone patch at least two hours prior to arrival to arrange customs clearance. Agricultural inspection is also available, subject to the same twenty-four hour prior notice requirement referenced in the facility guide. Crews should treat this as a coordinated military-field process rather than a walk-up service.
What is the PPR policy for transient aircraft at KNKT?
All transient aircraft operating into Cherry Point MCAS (KNKT) require prior permission with a minimum twenty-four hour advance notice, arranged through Base Operations. Weekend arrivals require separate coordination with the Operations Duty Officer. Flight planning and Base Operations function around the clock except on federal holidays, when closure or reduced services may apply per NOTAM. Aircraft carrying passengers, cargo, or distinguished visitors must also contact the Port Traffic Division twenty minutes before landing, and any distinguished visitor code requires its own twenty-four hour notice through Base Operations.
Which runways and taxiways at KNKT support all aircraft weights?
At Cherry Point MCAS, all runways and taxiways support all aircraft at all weights, with the exception of Taxiway A and Taxiway C. The field has four paved asphalt runways, the longest being 14L/32R at 8,978 feet. The area referred to in air traffic control terminology as centermat, where the four taxiways intersect, is also rated for all aircraft wheel weights. Taxiway K carries a specific restriction: aircraft may not taxi on it between Runway 23R and the test cell, where movement is limited to towing operations only.
Is hot pit refueling available for transient aircraft at KNKT?
Hot pit refueling at Cherry Point MCAS (KNKT) is limited to specific aircraft types. For transient aircraft carrying inert ordnance, hot pit refueling is restricted to F-18, USAF F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft only, in accordance with the Cherry Point air operations manual. This service requires prior permission with a minimum of twenty-four hours advance notice. Fuel available at the field includes 100LL and J5; Jet A is not carried. Crews planning hot pit service should coordinate directly with Base Operations well ahead of arrival.
What wildlife and training hazards should pilots expect near KNKT?
Pilots operating into Cherry Point MCAS (Cunningham Field) should expect extensive student jet training, including V / STOL operations, in the vicinity of the airport. During peak student training periods, transient aircraft should expect straight-in full-stop landings only. A bird hazard is noted from October through April, and wildlife hazards are present on the airfield itself, particularly around sunset and sunrise. Drainage ditches run parallel to all runways, and an unlit tower obstacle 549 feet in height is charted near the field at position NKT200006.