Nikolai Airport (PAFS), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Nikolai Airport (PAFS) is an unattended gravel-runway field in interior Alaska, roughly 166 nm from Anchorage. It handles light general aviation traffic and has no onsite fuel or customs services.
Runways
Nikolai Airport has one unpaved runway, 05/23, 4,001 ft long and 75 ft wide, with a gravel surface.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Nikolai Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Ted Stevens Anchorage International (PANC), 165 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Nikolai Airport recorded 508 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in October. Traffic at PAFS builds through the year and peaks in October, according to FAA TFMSC data.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 68 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Operating constraints
Nikolai Airport has published operating constraints in two categories: runway notes and other notes.
The REIL for runways 05 and 23, the PAPI for runways 05 and 23, and the MIRL for runway 05/23 are all pilot-activated via CTAF.
Multiple runway lights are broken along the entire length, and brush and grass obscure the lights.
Runway condition is unmaintained; a visual inspection is recommended before use.
The rotating beacon is pilot-activated via CTAF.
A weather camera is available online at https://weathercams.faa.gov.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Nikolai Airport has two airfields within 45 NM. The closest is Mc Grath (PAMC), 34.28 NM west.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at PAFS
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.
$600.00 catering order at PAFS.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
The $75 minimum applies below $862.50.
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 runway surface at PAFS?
PAFS, Nikolai Airport, has a single gravel runway, 05/23, measuring 4,001 by 75 feet. The field is unattended, so pilots should expect no ground services and plan fuel and support elsewhere.
Is fuel available at Nikolai Airport?
No fuel type is listed for Nikolai Airport (PAFS) in current data. The field is unattended year-round, so operators should plan to arrive with sufficient fuel for their return or onward leg.
Where does Nikolai Airport route customs traffic?
Nikolai Airport (PAFS) has no onsite customs service. The nearest customs facility is at Anchorage (PANC), located about 165 nautical miles away.