Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field (8A1), Alabama
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field, listed under local identifier 8A1, serves Guntersville, Alabama, with a single paved runway and a seaplane water runway option on Lake Guntersville. The field logged 1,024 total operations in 2025 per FAA TFMSC data, with business aviation accounting for 690 of that traffic. Customs is not available onsite; the nearest customs-equipped airport is Huntsville International, roughly 29 nautical miles away.
Runways
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field has two runways. The longest, 06W/24W, is 5,500 ft long and 200 ft wide, with a water surface.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field has Jet A+ and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 8am to 5pm, daily, and the airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field (KHSV), 29 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field recorded 690 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in October. Business aviation traffic at Guntersville Municipal/Joe Starnes Field builds through the second half of the year, with October recording the highest monthly count at 85 operations against a low of 30 in April.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 85 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 2.8 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field has published operating constraints in three categories: access, environmental and other notes.
Runway end identifier lights for Runway 7 and Runway 25, the precision approach path indicator for Runway 25, and medium intensity runway lighting for Runway 7/25 are pilot-activated over CTAF.
For clearance delivery, contact Huntsville Approach; when Approach is closed, contact Memphis Center.
Deer, birds, and coyotes are present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
Self-service avgas is available 24/7, and full-service Jet-A is available during normal operating hours.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field has five airfields within 28 NM. The closest is Albertville Regional / Thomas J Brumlik Field (KBFZ), 10.63 NM south.
Part of the Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at 8A1
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 8A1.
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 runways are available at 8A1 Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field?
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field, identifier 8A1, offers two runways. Runway 07/25 is paved asphalt, measuring 5,005 feet long and 75 feet wide, and serves as the primary landing surface. Runway 06W/24W is a 5,500 by 200 foot water runway on Lake Guntersville for seaplane operations. There is no tower on field, so arriving and departing traffic coordinates over CTAF.
Is customs clearance available at KHSV-area airport 8A1?
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field does not have customs service onsite. The nearest airport with customs clearance is Huntsville International, identified as KHSV, located approximately 28.97 nautical miles away. Flights requiring customs processing near Guntersville need to route through Huntsville or another designated port of entry. Dispatchers planning international arrivals into this area should build the diversion distance into fuel and timing calculations.
What fuel types are offered at Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field?
Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field, or 8A1, stocks both 100LL avgas and Jet-A, along with an A+ fuel designation. Avgas is available on a self-service basis around the clock. Jet-A is offered full-service but only during normal operating hours, which run Monday through Saturday from 0800 to 1700 local. Aircraft needing Jet-A outside that window should plan arrival timing accordingly.
What lighting is in place for night operations at 8A1?
Runway lighting at Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field is pilot-activated over CTAF. Runway 7 and Runway 25 both have runway end identifier lights, and Runway 25 additionally has a precision approach path indicator. Medium intensity runway lighting covers the full 07/25 runway. Pilots operating into 8A1 after dark should be prepared to key the CTAF frequency to bring up the lighting system.
How does business aviation traffic vary by month at Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field?
Business aviation traffic at Guntersville Municipal / Joe Starnes Field, 8A1, shows a clear seasonal pattern according to FAA TFMSC data for 2025. Monthly operations are lowest in spring, with April recording just 30 flights, and climb steadily from summer into fall. October is the peak month at 85 operations, followed by November at 78 and July at 72. Dispatchers scheduling into 8A1 during the fourth quarter should expect a busier ramp than in spring months.