Manistee County / Blacker Airport (KMBL), Michigan
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Manistee County / Blacker Airport (KMBL) is a public-use, non-towered field in Manistee, Michigan, sitting at 621 feet elevation and roughly 117 nautical miles from the nearest metro area. The airport carries both 100LL and Jet A fuel and reported 606 business aviation operations in 2025 against 1,926 total annual operations, according to FAA TFMSC data. Its longer runway, 10/28, spans 5,501 feet, giving it capacity for a range of turbine and piston traffic passing through northern Michigan.
Runways
Manistee County / Blacker Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 10/28, is 5,501 ft long and 100 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Manistee County / Blacker Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Manistee County / Blacker Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Sheboygan County Memorial International (KSBM), 76 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Manistee County / Blacker Airport recorded 606 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in July and August. Business aviation traffic at KMBL concentrates heavily in the summer months, with July and August each exceeding 125 operations compared to single-digit counts in the winter months.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month July, 131 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Manistee County / Blacker Airport averages 1.3 days above 90°F in July and 28.8 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 79.7°F, and January the coldest, at 30.2°F.
Weather station is 4.2 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Manistee County / Blacker Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, environmental, pavement strength and other notes.
An additional obstruction is present: a road 15 feet high, located 498 feet from the runway, with an approach ratio of 33:1.
Pilot-activated lighting: MALSR on Runway 28; REIL on Runway 10; PAPI on Runways 01, 19, 10, and 28; HIRL on Runway 10/28; MIRL on Runway 01/19 — all activated via CTAF.
Runway 01/19 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. No Part 121/Part 380 operations are permitted except for taxi movements.
Maintenance personnel monitor CTAF while working on taxiways and runways.
Birds are present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
PCR VALUE: 205/F/C/X/T
Taxiway E is marked with reflectors.
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting personnel monitor CTAF during air carrier operations.
Field conditions are unmonitored outside attended hours, except for air carrier operations.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Manistee County / Blacker Airport has five airfields within 41 NM. The closest is Mason County (KLDM), 19.86 NM south.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KMBL
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 KMBL.
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 fuel available at KMBL, and what types does Manistee County / Blacker Airport carry?
Manistee County / Blacker Airport carries both 100LL and Jet A fuel. The field is not towered, so fuel service follows the posted attendance schedule rather than continuous coverage. Hours run 0800-1700 from November through March, extend to 0800-2000 during June through August, and shift again in the shoulder months of April, May, September, and October. Crews should plan arrivals around these windows since no air traffic control is present to relay fuel status after hours.
What is the runway length available at KMBL for larger business aircraft?
KMBL offers Runway 10/28 at 5,501 feet long and 100 feet wide, paved in asphalt. A second runway, 01/19, measures 2,721 feet by 75 feet, also asphalt. The longer runway carries a PCR value of 205/F / C/X / T. Runway 01/19 has a restriction barring Part 121 and Part 380 scheduled operations above nine passenger seats, and non-scheduled operations above thirty passenger seats, except for taxi movements.
Does Manistee County / Blacker Airport handle international customs clearance on site?
Manistee County / Blacker Airport does not have customs clearance on site. The nearest customs facility is at KSBM, located 75.57 nautical miles away. Operators requiring customs processing should route through that airport rather than planning direct international arrival at KMBL. Because MBL sits in the United States, this applies to any inbound flight needing federal inspection, not a cross-border traffic pattern unique to Canada or Mexico.
When is business aviation traffic heaviest at KMBL?
Business aviation traffic at Manistee County / Blacker Airport concentrates in the summer months. July and August each recorded over 125 operations in 2025, according to FAA TFMSC data, compared to single digits in January, February, November, and December. June and September also show moderate activity above 80 operations. Dispatchers planning summer trips into KMBL should expect a busier ramp and field conditions relative to the winter shoulder periods.
What lighting is available at KMBL for night or low-visibility operations?
Manistee County / Blacker Airport activates a MALSR system on Runway 28 and REIL on Runway 10. PAPI guidance is available on all four runway ends: 01, 19, 10, and 28. HIRL lighting serves Runway 10/28, while MIRL lighting serves Runway 01/19. All lighting is pilot-activated through CTAF, since KMBL is not a towered field.