Hopkins Field (KAIB), Colorado
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Hopkins Field (KAIB) serves Nucla, Colorado, at an elevation of 5,945 feet, roughly 27 nautical miles from the nearest metro area. The field is uncontrolled and unattended, with a paved runway, 05/23, alongside a shorter turf-dirt strip, 11/29, and self-service fuel covering both 100LL and Jet A. Traffic here is light, drawing mostly business aviation movements as tracked by FAA TFMSC data, and there is no customs service onsite, with the nearest customs airport, KEGE, roughly 114 nautical miles away.
Runways
Hopkins Field has two paved and unpaved runways. The longest, 05/23, is 5,212 ft long and 75 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
Hopkins Field has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Hopkins Field does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Eagle County Regional (KEGE), 114 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Hopkins Field recorded 45 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April. Business aviation traffic at KAIB is concentrated unevenly through the year, with April showing the highest monthly volume and July recording none.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month April, 10 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Hopkins Field averages 27.2 days above 90°F in July, 30.1 freeze days in December and 1.8 snow days in December. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 97.0°F, and January the coldest, at 44.9°F.
Weather station is 11.8 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Hopkins Field has published operating constraints in three categories: runway notes, environmental and other notes.
REIL is installed on Runway 05 and Runway 23, and MIRL serves Runway 05/23, both operating dusk to dawn with intensity increase available via CTAF. PAPI is installed on Runway 05 and Runway 23 and operates continuously.
Migratory birds, wildlife, and deer are present on or in the vicinity of the airport.
Self-service fuel is available 24 hours a day.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 5.0 nautical miles.
Multiple large rodent holes are present.
There are 40-foot power lines in the hangar area.
For clearance delivery, contact Denver ARTCC.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Hopkins Field has five airfields within 42 NM. The closest is Telluride Regional (KTEX), 35.33 NM southeast.
Part of the Telluride and Montrose area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KAIB
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.
$1,200.00 catering order at KAIB.
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 KAIB?
Hopkins Field (KAIB) offers self-service fuel, available 24 hours a day. Both 100LL and Jet A are listed as fuel types on the field. The airport itself is unattended, so pilots and dispatchers should plan on self-service procedures for any fuel uplift. No attendant support is available outside the self-service pumps.
What runways are available at Hopkins Field?
Hopkins Field (KAIB) has two runways: 05/23, a paved asphalt surface measuring 5,212 feet by 75 feet, and 11/29, a 4,000-foot by 80-foot turf-dirt strip. Runway 05/23 is equipped with REIL and MIRL lighting plus PAPI on both ends, useful for evening operations. Runway 11/29 is unpaved and shorter, suited mainly to smaller aircraft.
Where is the nearest customs facility to KAIB?
Hopkins Field (KAIB) does not have customs service onsite. The nearest customs airport is KEGE, located approximately 114 nautical miles away. Crews requiring customs clearance near Nucla, Colorado should plan their routing to account for this distance rather than expecting to clear at KAIB itself.
How busy is traffic at KAIB throughout the year?
Business aviation traffic at Hopkins Field (KAIB) is light and uneven across the year, with FAA TFMSC data showing a total of 45 business aviation operations against 58 annual operations overall in 2025. Monthly volumes swing from zero operations in July to a high of 10 in April, reflecting a concentrated, seasonal pattern rather than steady year-round use. Dispatchers should not assume consistent activity levels month to month at this field.