Vance AFB Airport (KEND), Oklahoma
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Vance AFB (KEND) is a towered military airfield serving Enid, Oklahoma, roughly 55.68 nautical miles from the nearest larger metro area. As a private-use Air Force installation, it operates under access rules distinct from public general aviation airports, with customs clearance handled through Oklahoma City (KOKC) rather than onsite. The field supports a mix of military training and business aviation traffic recorded through FAA TFMSC tracking.
Runways
Vance AFB Airport has three paved runways. The longest, 17C/35C, is 9,217 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Vance AFB Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Okc Will Rogers International (KOKC), 59 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Vance AFB Airport recorded 3,665 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in July. Business aviation traffic at Vance AFB (KEND) is concentrated in the spring and summer months, peaking in July, with the lowest volumes in November and December.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month July, 421 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 5.2 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Vance AFB Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, environmental and other notes.
Justified miscellaneous note: weather observation is limited in all quadrants; not all ends of the runway are visible from the observation point. When fog and/or low clouds are present over the approach end of runway 17/35, the condition report from the observation point may not be representative.
Restriction: prior permission is required at least 72 business hours in advance; contact Vance airfield management operations.
Miscellaneous: Vance weather is staffed 24 hours a day, with standby personnel maintained on Saturdays and federal holidays; contact airfield weather for details. All FAA Form 175-1 weather requests require 2 hours notice. Airfield weather is maintained by an AN/FMQ-19 ASOS, augmented by human observation when required. Weather observation is limited in all quadrants due to buildings, hangars, shelters, and aircraft obstructing the view. Not all ends of the runway are visible from the observation point. When fog and/or low clouds are present over the approach end of the runway, the condition report from the observation point may not be representative.
Restriction: runway 17C-35C is closed until approximately April 2025.
A 4-light PAPI is located on both sides of runway 17C.
A 4-light PAPI is located on both sides of runway 17R.
A 4-light PAPI is located on both sides of runway 35C.
A 4-light PAPI is located on both sides of runway 35L.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 9 degrees right and left of the runway centerline.
Restriction: during VMC departures, aircraft must remain below 2,300 feet until reaching the departure end of the runway to ensure separation from the VFR overhead traffic pattern, unless otherwise cleared by ATC.
Bearing strength for runway 04-22: single wheel 127, dual wheel tandem tridem 379, dual tandem 547.
Bearing strength for runway 17L-35R: triple tandem 544.
Bearing strength for runway 17R-35L: triple tandem 540.
Bearing strength for runway 17C-35C: dual wheel tandem tridem 535, dual tandem 790, triple tandem 469.
Caution: some obstruction lights are non-standard, visible only to 3 miles.
Caution: aircraft sunshades are located 735 feet east of runway 17L/35R.
Caution: LED obstruction lights may not be visible with night vision devices or night vision goggles.
The wind sock is unlighted when the runway is unlighted.
BAK-15 arresting gear is installed, located in a 154-foot overrun.
BAK-15 arresting gear is installed, located in a 152-foot overrun.
Miscellaneous: Migratory Bird Act bird aircraft strike hazard phase II is in effect April 15 through May 31 and November 1 through February 28, or as otherwise activated via NOTAM.
Miscellaneous: arrivals with a distinguished visitor code of 7 or higher must contact Vance Operations 20 minutes prior to estimated time of arrival.
Fluid services: specification propellant air, low-pressure oxygen, and liquid oxygen are available.
Oil: grade O-148-156, subject to spectrometric oil analysis program monitoring.
Transient alert service is available during published or NOTAM operating hours; no fleet service is available; transient deicing is unavailable.
Communications and navigation weather: AWOS provides 24/7 automated observations, augmented only during operating hours or in severe weather.
Restriction: official business only; submit requests to airfield management operations.
Miscellaneous: airfield weather observations are reported 24/7 via an AN/FMQ-19 AWOS, augmented by human observation when required.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Vance AFB Airport has five airfields within 38 NM. The closest is Enid Woodring Regional (KWDG), 6.55 NM east.
Part of the Oklahoma City area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KEND
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 KEND.
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 KEND / Vance AFB open to civilian traffic?
Vance AFB, identified by ICAO code KEND, is a private-use military airfield in Enid, Oklahoma. It does not accept general civilian transient traffic in the way a public airport does. Arrivals typically require official business, and requests must be submitted to airfield management in advance. Aircraft with a distinguished visitor code of 7 or higher must have their arrival coordinated with Vance Operations ahead of the estimated time of arrival. Dispatchers should treat this field as a controlled-access military installation rather than a public-use general aviation airport.
What runways are available at Vance AFB (KEND)?
Vance AFB operates three paved concrete runways. Runway 17C/35C and runway 17R/35L each measure 9,217 feet long and 150 feet wide, while runway 17L/35R is shorter at 5,024 feet long and 150 feet wide. All three surfaces are concrete. Runway 17C/35C has carried a closure remark until approximately April 2025, so current NOTAMs should be checked before planning around that runway. Each of the two long runways is equipped with a 4-light PAPI on both sides for glidepath guidance.
Where is the nearest customs clearance available relative to KEND?
Vance AFB does not host onsite customs processing. The nearest customs airport of entry is Oklahoma City, identified by ICAO code KOKC, located approximately 58.89 nautical miles away. Flight planners bringing international arrivals toward Enid, Oklahoma should route customs clearance through that facility before or instead of using Vance AFB directly. Because Vance is a restricted military field, customs planning here also needs to account separately from the field's access approval process.
How busy is business aviation traffic at Vance AFB, and does it vary by season?
Vance AFB recorded 3,665 business aviation operations in 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data, out of 15,410 total annual operations. Traffic is not evenly spread across the year: monthly business aviation operations ranged from a low of 180 in December to a high of 421 in July. Spring and summer months, particularly March through July, consistently showed higher counts than the November-to-February period. Dispatchers scheduling flights at KEND should expect the field's business aviation activity to concentrate in the warmer months.
What bird activity or wildlife hazards are noted for Vance AFB?
Vance AFB flags a seasonal bird hazard under the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard program at this field near Enid, Oklahoma. Phase II bird activity is noted from April 15 through May 31 and again from November 1 through February 28, or when otherwise activated by NOTAM. Crews operating in and out of KEND during those windows should expect heightened bird activity advisories in effect. Outside those NOTAM-activated periods, the phase II hazard designation does not apply by default.