Edward G Pitka Sr Airport (PAGA), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport (PAGA / GAL) serves Galena, Alaska, with a paved 6,000-foot runway capable of handling business aviation traffic alongside a shorter gravel strip for smaller aircraft. The field operates without a control tower and sees seasonal attendance coverage tied to fuel and maintenance service hours. According to FAA TFMSC data, cross-border traffic through GAL in 2025 totaled 3,020 operations, with business aviation accounting for 2,597 of those movements.
Runways
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport has two paved and unpaved runways. The longest, 08/26, is 6,000 ft long and 100 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
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 6am to 5pm, daily, and the airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Nome (PAOM), 219 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport recorded 2,597 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in October. Business aviation traffic at GAL is concentrated in the late summer and fall months, peaking in October according to FAA TFMSC data.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 370 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport averages 0.1 days above 90°F in July, 31.0 freeze days in January and 6.1 snow days in November. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 69.4°F, and January the coldest, at -2.7°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport has published operating constraints in three categories: access, runway notes and other notes.
Wind shear is possible below 2,000 feet on final approach.
Ultralights operate on and in the vicinity of the airport.
The medium-intensity runway lights (MIRL) for runway 08/26 are pilot-activated over CTAF.
Maintenance hours are 0800-1600, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Hazards should be reported during duty hours unless prior arrangement has been made in writing with the airport manager, PO Box 09, Galena, AK 99741.
Snow removal operations are underway; monitor CTAF.
Aircraft may be closer to the landing surface than they appear.
A weather camera is available on the internet at https://weathercams.faa.gov.
Fuel is available Monday through Friday, 0800-1700; an after-hours call-out fee applies.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Skystar at PAGA
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 PAGA.
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
Does PAGA have air traffic control?
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport (PAGA) is a non-towered field, so pilots coordinate movements over CTAF rather than with a control tower. Runway 08/26 lighting, the medium-intensity runway lights, is pilot-controlled and activated over the same frequency. During snow removal operations, ground crews also monitor CTAF, so inbound traffic should expect radio calls related to clearing activity. Dispatchers planning arrivals at GAL should brief crews on standard CTAF procedures given the absence of tower services.
What runways are available at Edward G Pitka Sr Airport (GAL)?
GAL offers two runways: 08/26, a 6,000-foot by 100-foot asphalt surface, and 06/24, a 2,600-foot by 50-foot gravel strip. The paved runway is the primary option for business aviation traffic and matches the airport's published max paved length of 6,000 feet. The gravel runway is considerably shorter and narrower, suiting smaller aircraft. Crews should note the runway identification remark warning of possible wind shear below 2,000 feet on final approach, which applies to operations at this Galena, Alaska field.
Is fuel available at PAGA and when?
Fuel at Edward G Pitka Sr Airport is available Monday through Friday from 0800 to 1700, matching the field's general attendance schedule. Both 100LL and Jet A are carried at the airport. Outside these posted hours, an after-hours call-out fee applies for fuel service, so crews arriving off-schedule should plan for that added cost. Dispatchers scheduling flights into GAL should coordinate fuel needs in advance if arrival falls outside the Monday-Friday window.
Where is the nearest customs facility to GAL?
Edward G Pitka Sr Airport itself does not have customs service onsite. The nearest customs-capable airport is PAOM, located approximately 219 nautical miles away. Crews requiring customs clearance in the region should route through PAOM rather than expecting service at GAL. This distance is a significant planning factor for any international arrival considering Galena as a stop, given the lack of local customs processing.
When is PAGA busiest for business aviation traffic?
Business aviation traffic at Edward G Pitka Sr Airport (PAGA) concentrates in the fall months, with October showing the highest monthly total at 370 operations in the FAA TFMSC data for 2025, followed by August at 334 and September at 296. Traffic is noticeably lighter in the winter and early spring months, with March recording the year's low at 113 operations. This pattern reflects a clear seasonal concentration rather than steady year-round demand. Dispatchers planning operations at GAL should anticipate higher activity levels in the late summer and fall period.