Schenectady County Airport (KSCH), New York
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Schenectady County Airport (KSCH) sits in upstate New York, about 10.8 nautical miles from the Albany metro area, and serves as a towered public-use field with a full-length runway capable of handling midsize business jets. The airport hosts both civilian and Air National Guard operations on a shared field, with customs inspection and an ADCUS notification service available for international arrivals. Two paved runways, including a 7,001-foot primary strip, support the bulk of the field's business aviation traffic.
Runways
Schenectady County Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 04/22, is 7,001 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
Schenectady County Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 7:30am to 10:30pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Schenectady County 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
Schenectady County Airport recorded 1,188 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in August. Business aviation traffic at KSCH builds through the spring and summer, peaking in August before tapering off toward the winter months.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month August, 154 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 8.3 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Schenectady County Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, environmental and other notes.
Air National Guard operations require prior permission with 72 hours' notice to airfield management operations during duty hours; contact the command post outside duty hours.
Air National Guard: caution advised during the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Phase II periods, March 15 through May 15 and July 1 through November 15. Under severe bird watch condition, takeoff, landing, and local training are prohibited unless mission essential. Under moderate bird watch condition, multiple approaches are prohibited, while departures and full-stop landings are allowed if the route avoids bird activity. Contact Air National Guard airfield operations, call-sign "Skier Ops," for the current bird watch condition.
Ultra-light operations are not permitted in the Class D airspace without approval from the airport traffic control tower.
For clearance delivery, contact Albany Approach.
Military customs, agriculture, and immigration inspection services operate from 1300 to 2100Z, Monday through Friday, with prior notice required by phone before 2000Z on the preceding weekday.
When the airport traffic control tower is closed, pilots can activate the MALSR on runway 04, the PAPI on runways 04, 10, 22, and 28, the HIRL on runway 04/22, and the MIRL on runway 10/28 using the CTAF.
Near runway 22, rising terrain 22 feet above runway height is located 500 feet right of the runway, within 0 to 200 feet of the runway.
Near runway 28, a road obstruction 10 feet high is located 150 to 200 feet from the runway, 220 feet to the right.
Runway 10 has an obstacle clearance slope of 14:1 to the displaced threshold due to an 87-foot tree, located 1,223 feet from the displaced threshold, 190 feet to the right.
A 60-foot dropoff is located 150 feet from the runway 28 end.
A noise abatement procedure is in effect for large aircraft remaining in the pattern; contact the airfield manager for details.
Birds are present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
A landing fee applies to intinerant multi-engine aircraft requesting tower service between 0330Z and 1230Z.
No updated field condition or braking action reports are available between 0330Z and 1230Z.
Military C-130 pattern operations are conducted daily.
On the Air National Guard apron, orange dashed wingtip clearance lines run on both sides of the yellow taxi centerline, providing clearly identifiable obstacle clearance for taxiing aircraft. Any object parked behind the lines poses no wingtip clearance issue.
Flight notification service (ADCUS) is available.
Fuel type A++ is available for military use.
Air National Guard operations run from 1030 to 2000Z, Monday through Friday, closed weekends and federal holidays. Secure communications storage is available for transient crews. Contact Schenectady County Airport for further information.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Schenectady County Airport has five airfields within 33 NM. The closest is Albany International (KALB), 8.38 NM southeast.
Part of the Albany and the Hudson Valley area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSCH
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 KSCH.
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 KSCH?
Schenectady County Airport operates two paved asphalt runways. Runway 04/22 is the primary strip at 7,001 feet long and 150 feet wide, suitable for most business jet operations. Runway 10/28 is shorter, at 4,850 feet long and also 150 feet wide. Both runways are lighted, with HIRL on 04/22 and MIRL on 10/28 available when the tower is closed. Pilots should note published close-in obstructions and an obstacle clearance slope on runway 10 when planning approaches.
Are there any obstacles or terrain concerns near the runways at Schenectady County Airport?
Yes, Schenectady County Airport publishes several close-in obstruction notes for pilots. Rising terrain 22 feet above runway height sits 500 feet right of runway 22, within 200 feet of the runway. Near runway 28, a road obstruction 10 feet high lies between 150 and 220 feet right of the runway. Runway 10 also carries a 14:1 obstacle clearance slope to the displaced threshold due to an 87-foot tree located 1,223 feet from the threshold. A 60-foot dropoff is also noted 150 feet from the runway 28 end.
Is fuel available at KSCH, including for military aircraft?
Schenectady County Airport carries both 100LL and Jet A fuel for civilian traffic, with attendance scheduled daily from 0730 to 2230 local time. A separate remark identifies A++ fuel as available for military use. Given the shared civilian and Air National Guard presence at the field, military crews should coordinate fuel needs through the appropriate military point of contact rather than the civilian FBO schedule. Flight notification service through ADCUS is also available for arriving flights.
What customs procedures apply at Schenectady County Airport?
Schenectady County Airport, identified by ICAO code KSCH, has CBP inspection services available onsite along with a USDA compliance agreement. Flight notification service through ADCUS is available to support arranging inspection ahead of arrival. Separate military customs and agriculture inspection procedures are also noted, operating on a weekday schedule with prior notice required by the preceding weekend. Civilian operators should not assume the military customs schedule applies to their arrivals and should coordinate CBP service directly.
What noise, wildlife, or pattern restrictions should pilots know about at KSCH?
Schenectady County Airport has a noise abatement procedure in effect for large aircraft remaining in the pattern, with details available from the airfield manager. Birds are reported on and in the vicinity of the airport, and military C-130 pattern operations are conducted daily. The Air National Guard also runs a seasonal Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) Phase II program during March 15 to May 15 and July 1 to November 15, which can restrict takeoffs, landings, and local training depending on the bird watch condition in effect at the time.