Destin Executive Airport (KDTS), Florida
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Destin Executive Airport (KDTS) is a towered public-use general aviation field on Florida's Gulf Coast, sitting roughly 15 nautical miles from the nearest metro area and handling a business aviation-heavy traffic mix. Its single asphalt runway and close proximity to Eglin Air Force Base shape much of its operational character, with military coordination procedures playing a routine role in daily arrivals and departures.
Runways
Destin Executive Airport has one paved runway, 14/32, 5,001 ft long and 100 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Destin Executive Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 6am to 10pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Destin Executive Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Pensacola International (KPNS), 37 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Destin Executive Airport recorded 19,673 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in May, July and October. Business aviation traffic at KDTS concentrates in the spring and mid-summer months, with May, July, and October posting the highest monthly operation counts.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month July, 2,132 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Destin Executive Airport averages 16.9 days above 90°F in August and 3.2 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 90.9°F, and January the coldest, at 63.1°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Destin Executive Airport has published operating constraints in two categories: runway notes and other notes.
PAPI activated for runways 14 and 32; HIRL for runway 14/32 is controlled via CTAF.
The runway 14 PAPI is unusable beyond 6 degrees left of runway centerline.
The runway 32 PAPI is unusable beyond 7 degrees left and right of centerline.
Exercise vigilance due to close proximity to Eglin AFB, located 6 nautical miles northwest.
All aircraft must contact Eglin Clearance Delivery on 127.7 for ATC departure instructions prior to takeoff when the tower is closed.
When the tower is closed, IFR aircraft must remain on the ground and contact departure control for climb-out instructions and IFR release.
Airport conditions are unmonitored.
Parasailing and banner towing occur within 5 nautical miles.
Caution: personnel and equipment may be present on or in the vicinity of the safety area.
Contact FBO services on the designated frequency.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Destin Executive Airport has five airfields within 23 NM. The closest is Eglin AFB / Destin-Fort Walton Beach (KVPS), 5.74 NM northwest.
Part of the Panama City and Destin area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KDTS
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 KDTS.
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 is the annual traffic volume at KDTS?
Destin Executive Airport, identifier KDTS, recorded 23,785 total operations in 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data. Business aviation accounted for 19,673 of those operations, making it the dominant traffic segment at this field. Monthly figures show a clear spring and fall bias, with July and May posting the highest bizav counts. The airport carries an ops tier of 1, reflecting its status as a high-volume general aviation facility on the Florida Gulf Coast. Dispatchers should expect consistent business jet and turboprop activity throughout the year rather than isolated peaks alone.
Does KDTS have on-site customs clearance?
KDTS does not list on-site customs processing in its facility data. The nearest customs-capable airport is KPNS, located 37.28 nautical miles away. Crews arriving from international origins should plan to clear customs at KPNS before or after operating into Destin Executive. This distance is worth building into routing and timing decisions for any flight requiring federal inspection services. No customs type designation is recorded for KDTS itself, so all clearance planning should route through the nearby facility.
What fuel is available at Destin Executive Airport?
Destin Executive Airport stocks both 100LL and Jet A fuel on the field. The attendance schedule runs all days, all months, from 0600 to 2200 local time. This schedule covers the operational window during which fuel and field services can be expected. Dispatchers planning after-hours arrivals outside this window should coordinate separately, since the published attendance schedule does not extend to overnight hours. The airport is towered, which adds a layer of coordination for arrivals and departures during staffed hours.
How close is KDTS to Eglin Air Force Base, and why does it matter?
Eglin AFB sits just 5.74 nautical miles from KDTS on a bearing of 331 degrees, and airport remarks explicitly warn pilots to exercise vigilance due to this proximity, citing a distance of 6 nautical miles northwest. When the KDTS tower is closed, all aircraft must contact Eglin Clearance Delivery on 127.7 for ATC departure instructions prior to takeoff. IFR aircraft in the same tower-closed condition must remain on the ground and contact departure control for climb-out instructions and IFR release. This proximity to active military airspace is a defining operational factor for anyone flying into or out of Destin Executive.
What is the runway configuration at KDTS?
Destin Executive Airport has a single paved runway, designated 14/32, measuring 5,001 feet long and 100 feet wide with an asphalt surface. This is the only runway serving the field, so all traffic operates on this one strip regardless of wind direction. The PAPI on runway 14 is unusable beyond 6 degrees left of runway centerline, and the PAPI on runway 32 is unusable beyond 7 degrees left and right of centerline. Both runway ends carry high intensity runway lighting activated via CTAF. These visual glideslope limitations are worth noting for approach planning at KDTS.