Blue Grass Airport (KLEX), Kentucky
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Blue Grass Airport (KLEX) serves Lexington, Kentucky as a towered, public-use field roughly 18.64 nautical miles from the metro area. The airport handles a substantial share of business aviation activity in the region, supported by a full-length primary runway, onsite CBP inspection services, and a USDA compliance agreement that together support international general aviation arrivals.
Runways
Blue Grass Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 04/22, is 7,004 ft long and 150 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
Blue Grass Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Blue Grass Airport has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals. A USDA compliance agreement is in place.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Blue Grass Airport recorded 16,999 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in October. Business aviation traffic at KLEX concentrates in the spring and fall months, with October showing the highest volume of the year.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 2,014 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Blue Grass Airport averages 9.1 days above 90°F in July, 22.7 freeze days in January and 1.3 snow days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 86.9°F, and January the coldest, at 42.3°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Blue Grass Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, pavement strength and other notes.
Taxiway B and the portion of Taxiway F west of Taxiway F3 are not available for scheduled air carrier operations with more than 9 passenger seats or unscheduled air carrier operations with at least 31 passenger seats, and are closed to aircraft with a wingspan greater than 78 feet.
Runway 09/27 is not available for Part 121/Part 380 operations involving scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 9 passenger seats, or non-scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 30 passenger seats.
During the left traffic pattern, do not mistake runway 27 for runway 22. A wall mural before the threshold creates the illusion of a bridge.
An Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) 316 feet long by 170 feet wide is installed starting 186 feet beyond the departure end of runway 04.
An Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) 283 feet long by 170 feet wide is installed starting 307 feet beyond the departure end of runway 22.
PCR VALUE: 563/R/A/W/T
PCR VALUE: 262/R/B/W/T
Flight notification service (ADCUS) is available.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Blue Grass Airport has five airfields within 29 NM. The closest is Lucas Field, 9.93 NM south.
Part of the Kentucky area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KLEX
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 KLEX.
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 primary runway for business jet traffic at KLEX?
Runway 04/22 is the primary runway for business jet traffic at Blue Grass Airport, measuring 7,004 feet long and 150 feet wide with an asphalt surface. It carries a PCR value of 563/R / A/W / T, supporting a wide range of turbine aircraft. Both ends are protected by an Engineered Material Arresting System, with the EMAS at the runway 04 end measuring 316 feet by 170 feet and the one at runway 22 measuring 283 feet by 170 feet. KLEX also has a shorter crosswind runway, 09/27, at 4,000 feet by 75 feet on a concrete surface.
Are there restrictions on using runway 09/27 at Blue Grass Airport?
Yes. Runway 09/27 at Blue Grass Airport is not available for Part 121 or Part 380 scheduled passenger operations with more than nine passenger seats, nor for non-scheduled passenger operations with more than 30 passenger seats. This limits the 4,000-foot concrete runway to smaller commercial and general aviation traffic. Operators flying larger aircraft under those parts should plan to use runway 04/22 instead, which has no such passenger-seat restriction noted in the airfield data.
Does KLEX offer customs clearance for international arrivals?
Blue Grass Airport (KLEX) has customs services onsite, including CBP inspection services and a USDA compliance agreement. A flight notification service, ADCUS, is also available for advising customs of inbound arrivals. This combination allows international general aviation flights to clear customs directly at the field rather than diverting to another airport. Operators should still coordinate notification timing through the standard ADCUS process ahead of arrival.
Are there taxiway restrictions at Blue Grass Airport that affect larger aircraft?
Yes. At Blue Grass Airport, Taxiway B and the portion of Taxiway F west of Taxiway F3 are closed to aircraft with a wingspan greater than 78 feet. Those taxiway segments are also not available for scheduled air carrier operations with more than nine passenger seats or unscheduled air carrier operations with at least 31 passenger seats. Dispatchers planning operations with larger wingspan aircraft or higher-capacity air carrier flights should account for these taxiway limits when routing at KLEX.
When is business aviation traffic busiest at KLEX?
Business aviation traffic at Blue Grass Airport (KLEX) is not evenly spread across the year, with volume concentrated in certain months according to the traffic data. October recorded the highest monthly figure at 2,014 operations, while February was the lowest at 938. The spring months of April and May also showed elevated activity, each exceeding 1,600 operations. Dispatchers should expect fuller ramps and higher demand for services in October relative to the winter months.