Desert Center Airport (CN64), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Desert Center is a privately used general aviation airport in Desert Center, California, sitting at 559 feet elevation east of the Coachella Valley. Its single paved runway, 05/23, extends 4,200 feet, and the field operates without a control tower or scheduled staffing hours. Traffic is light, drawn mainly from business aviation, and the nearest customs service is available at Palm Springs International, roughly 59 nautical miles away. The surrounding area includes several general aviation fields such as Chiriaco Summit and Blythe within a short flying distance.
Runways
Desert Center Airport has one paved runway, 05/23, 4,200 ft long and 50 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Desert Center Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Palm Springs International (KPSP), 59 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Desert Center Airport recorded 25 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in February. Recorded traffic at Desert Center is concentrated in the winter and early spring months, with February and March showing the highest activity and a secondary rise in October.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month February, 6 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Desert Center Airport averages 30.8 days above 90°F in July and 0.4 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 103.9°F, and December the coldest, at 63.2°F.
Weather station is 7.3 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Desert Center Airport has published operating constraints in one category: other notes.
For clearance delivery, contact Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center.
Extensive parachute operations occur daily over the airport surface up to 19,999 feet. Contact UNICOM on 122.8 for advisories.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Desert Center Airport has five airfields within 47 NM. The closest is Chiriaco Summit, 19.87 NM west.
Part of the Palm Springs and the Desert area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at CN64
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 CN64.
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 runway does Desert Center (CN64) offer?
Desert Center airport, local identifier CN64, has a single paved runway, 05/23, measuring 4,200 feet long and 50 feet wide with an asphalt surface. There is no tower on the field, and attendance is not scheduled on a fixed basis. Dispatchers should plan operations around uncontrolled airspace procedures for this private-use airport in Desert Center, California.
Is Desert Center (CN64) open to public traffic?
Desert Center is classified as a private-use airport, meaning access is not guaranteed to the general public in the way a public-use field would allow. It sits at an elevation of 559 feet in Desert Center, California, with a single paved runway available for aircraft that are cleared to operate there. Operators should confirm access arrangements before planning a flight to CN64.
Where does Desert Center (CN64) traffic clear customs?
Desert Center does not have customs service on site, so aircraft requiring clearance must route through the nearest customs airport, Palm Springs International (KPSP), located about 59 nautical miles away. This distance should factor into fuel and routing plans for any international arrival destined for CN64. Local dispatch should confirm current customs procedures directly with KPSP before scheduling.
How busy is Desert Center airport (CN64)?
Desert Center airport recorded 25 total business aviation operations in 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data, all of it business aviation traffic. Activity is concentrated in the cooler months, with February, March, and October showing the highest counts, while summer months show little to no recorded movement. This low-volume pattern is typical of a small private-use field like CN64 in the California desert.