Twentynine Palms Self Airport (KNXP), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Twentynine Palms Self, KNXP, is a restricted-access military airfield in Twentynine Palms, California, built around a single 8,015-foot paved runway that primarily supports desert combined-arms training for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. FAA TFMSC data recorded 171 total operations and 94 business aviation operations for the field in 2025, reflecting its niche role rather than routine civilian traffic. The nearest customs airport is Palm Springs International, roughly 33 nautical miles away. Operators should expect that most activity here revolves around scheduled training cycles and specific mission support rather than transient general aviation traffic.
Runways
Twentynine Palms Self Airport has one paved runway, 10/28, 8,015 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a pierced steel planking surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
The airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Twentynine Palms Self Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Palm Springs International (KPSP), 33 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Twentynine Palms Self Airport recorded 94 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in June. Business aviation activity at KNXP is concentrated in a handful of months, with June, February, and August showing the highest operation counts while several other months recorded minimal or no activity.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month June, 26 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 10.4 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Twentynine Palms Self Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, weight restrictions, runway notes, emergency arresting systems and other notes.
All lighting requires prior approval.
This is a restricted, closed field; operations are permitted only by prior approval, except for MCAGCC search-and-rescue aircraft. Prior permission is required for fuel uplift, VIP or passenger movement, practice arrestments, and night-vision device training. Operating outside published hours permits 24-hour PPR on weekdays and 72-hour PPR on Saturday and Sunday. Contact Base Operations for coordination.
All lighting requires prior approval.
No AMC fleet service is available for transient alert. All VIP aircraft must contact Airfield Operations for a PPR 24 hours prior to arrival.
All traffic patterns remain south of the runway due to a live-fire range immediately north of the field. Aircraft should remain on or south of the extended runway centerline on final approach. VFR fixed-wing aircraft on approach to runway 28 must maintain 4,100 feet MSL or above until reaching the NXP 5 DME fix. VFR fixed-wing departures from runway 10 must cross the NXP 5 DME fix at or above 4,100 feet MSL, or make a right turn toward Bandini, a water treatment facility located 6 nautical miles southeast.
Caution: the top surface of the AM-2 matting is coated with a non-skid material. Weight-bearing characteristics are correctly reflected by the available runway code above, TRT520.
Caution: a helicopter landing zone known as White Rhino, a UAS strip measuring 2,000 by 72 feet, lies south of and parallel to runway 28. It is primarily used for tenant UAS support and is restricted to UAS and helicopter operations only; no tiltrotor operations are authorized. It is marked with 72-by-72-foot helicopter spots on the east and west ends, and a 17-foot AGL hangar is located 120 feet south of the landing zone centerline.
Caution: the runways are surfaced with AM-2 matting, a fabricated aluminum panel system 1.5 inches thick, consisting of a hollow, extruded, one-piece main section with extruded end connectors welded to each end. The top surface of the AM-2 matting is coated with a non-skid material.
Bearing strength for runway 10/28: S80 T180 ST175 TT320 TDT850 TRT520.
Arresting gear is available: runway 10 has an M31(B) hook located 1,987 feet from the threshold, and runway 28 has an M31(B) hook located 1,565 feet from the threshold. Contact the tower for arrestment, and expect a delay of up to five minutes.
This is a restricted, austere desert training environment used primarily to support combined-arms exercises, with variable hours year-round as required by the combined-arms exercise command element. If Twentynine Palms Self is the final destination, pilots must ensure NXP is filed, not TNP.
For fueling, a qualified aircraft captain or crew chief must be provided by the user to refuel the aircraft. Fuel grade is Jet A (J8).
The airspace is Class D only when activated by NOTAM; otherwise it is Class G.
A 500-foot by 490-foot section of AM-2 matting is located on the west end of the fixed-wing ramp.
When the airport traffic control tower is closed, contact Los Angeles ARTCC for clearance delivery.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Twentynine Palms Self Airport has five airfields within 35 NM. The closest is Twentynine Palms (KTNP), 14.59 NM southeast.
Part of the Palm Springs and the Desert area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KNXP
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 KNXP.
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 KNXP open to civilian or transient business aircraft?
KNXP, Twentynine Palms Self, is a restricted military airfield supporting a Marine Corps combined-arms training environment and is closed to general operations. Access requires prior permission from the field, with exceptions limited to MCAGCC search-and-rescue aircraft. Fuel uplift, VIP or passenger movement, practice arrestments, and night-vision training all require a PPR. Any pilot filing this destination must file NXP, not TNP.
What runway does KNXP offer and what is its bearing strength?
Twentynine Palms Self, KNXP, has a single paved runway, 10/28, measuring 8,015 feet long and 150 feet wide with a PSP surface. Published bearing strength codes for runway 10/28 are S80 T180 ST175 TT320 TDT850 TRT520. The runway surface uses AM-2 aluminum matting, a fabricated one-piece extruded panel system coated with a non-skid finish.
Are there arresting gear systems available at KNXP?
Yes, KNXP maintains arresting gear on both runway ends: an M31(B) hook system located 1,987 feet from the runway 10 threshold and another M31(B) hook at 1,565 feet on runway 28. Aircraft requiring arrestment should contact the tower, and crews should expect a delay of up to five minutes for setup. This equipment supports the field's role in combined-arms training operations.
What airspace and traffic pattern restrictions apply at KNXP?
KNXP operates as Class D airspace only when activated by NOTAM; otherwise the airspace reverts to Class G. All traffic patterns are required to remain south of the runway because of a live-fire range immediately to the north. VFR fixed-wing arrivals to runway 28 must maintain 4,100 feet MSL or above until reaching the NXP 5 DME fix, and departures from runway 10 follow a similar altitude restriction.