Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) is a tower-controlled, business aviation-focused field in the San Fernando Valley, roughly 11.85 nautical miles from downtown Los Angeles. It sits within a dense cluster of Southern California airports, including Whiteman, Bob Hope, and Santa Monica Municipal, and ranks among the busiest general aviation airports in the country with over 65,000 annual operations recorded by FAA TFMSC in 2025. The airport is closed to air carrier operations and instead serves as a high-volume hub for corporate and charter traffic, supported by onsite CBP inspection services and a USDA compliance agreement.
Runways
Van Nuys Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 16R/34L, is 8,001 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
Van Nuys Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Van Nuys 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
Van Nuys Airport recorded 54,646 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in May, September and October. Business aviation traffic at Van Nuys Airport peaks in May, September, and October, with quieter months in midwinter.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month May, 5,157 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Van Nuys Airport averages 19.7 days above 90°F in August and 0.3 freeze days in January. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 93.1°F, and December the coldest, at 67.4°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Van Nuys Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, environmental and other notes.
When the control tower is closed, pilots must activate the MALSR approach lighting on Runway 16R, the high intensity runway lights on Runway 16R/34L, and the taxiway lights, using the CTAF.
The airport is closed to air carrier operations.
Helicopters must contact the control tower for approach and departure routes.
For clearance delivery when the control tower is closed, contact SoCal Approach.
The visual glide slope indicator is unusable beyond 6 nautical miles due to terrain, and beyond 9 degrees left of the runway centerline.
Runway 16L has an approach obstruction clearance ratio of 53:1 measured from the displaced threshold.
The approach obstruction clearance ratio is 50:1 from the displaced threshold. The ratio to the displaced threshold over an obstruction 41 feet high, located 1700 feet from the displaced threshold and 500 feet left of centerline, is 41:1.
Runway 16L/34R is closed and unlit when the tower is closed.
All jet aircraft must use the full runway length for departure unless otherwise directed by the control tower.
On Runways 16L and 16R, no turns are permitted before the flood basin unless directed by air traffic control.
On Runways 34L and 34R, no turns are permitted before reaching 1800 feet MSL unless directed by air traffic control.
On Taxiway A south of Taxiway P, aircraft with a wingspan over 100 feet encroach on the Runway 16R/34L runway safety area.
On Taxiway B south of Taxiway Q, aircraft with a wingspan over 100 feet encroach on the Runway 16R/34L runway safety area.
Due to aircraft on final for Runway 8 at Bob Hope Airport receiving TCAS resolution advisories, pilots must strictly adhere to traffic pattern altitude and climb gradients. On Runways 16R and 16L, do not climb above 1750 feet MSL until crossing 1.5 DME south of the VNY VOR/DME or south of the departure end of Runway 16R.
This is an extreme noise sensitive area.
A noise ordinance curfew prohibits takeoffs between 2200 and 0700 for aircraft exceeding 74 dBA under AC 36-3, with exceptions for military, mercy flight, and law enforcement aircraft.
No aircraft may arrive or depart the airport if its AC 36-3 takeoff noise level equals or exceeds 77 dBA.
Jets are requested to avoid departures and arrivals between 11 PM and 7 AM to reduce noise over the surrounding community.
Turbine and jet aircraft operators are requested to use NBAA noise abatement program procedures or comparable procedures from the aircraft manufacturer.
Under the noise ordinance, turbojet or fan-powered aircraft are prohibited from repetitive operations at all times.
Under the noise ordinance curfew, propeller-powered aircraft are prohibited from repetitive operations, including touch and go, stop and go, or takeoff within five minutes after landing, between 2200 and 0700 from June 21 to September 15, and between 2100 and 0700 from September 16 to June 20.
Bird abatement activity may occur between the runways when the control tower is open.
Formation arrivals and departures are prohibited except for emergency response aircraft.
When the control tower is closed, aircraft must self-announce on frequency 119.3 prior to landing or departing.
Taxilane A3 is westbound taxi only, and Taxilane A2 is eastbound taxi only. Taxilanes A2 and A3 have unidirectional centerline lights.
Taxiway A1 has been decommissioned.
Taxilanes A2 and A3 are non-visible areas from the control tower. All pilots taxiing out from the northwest airfield are required to contact the tower at Checkpoint 1 on Taxilane A2.
Landing fees take effect March 1, 2026. Rates and exemptions are available on the airport's website.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Van Nuys Airport has five airfields within 19 NM. The closest is Whiteman (KWHP), 4.82 NM northeast.
Part of the Los Angeles area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KVNY
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 KVNY.
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 is the noise curfew at KVNY?
Van Nuys Airport enforces a nighttime noise ordinance restricting takeoffs for aircraft exceeding 74 dBA under AC 36-3 between 2200 and 0700, with exceptions for military, mercy flights, and law enforcement aircraft. No aircraft may arrive or depart if its AC 36-3 takeoff noise level equals or exceeds 77 dBA. Jets are additionally asked to avoid departures and arrivals between 11 PM and 7 AM to reduce noise over the surrounding community. Propeller-powered aircraft face a separate repetitive-operations curfew between 2200-0700 in summer and 2100-0700 the rest of the year. Turbine and fan-powered aircraft are prohibited from repetitive operations at KVNY at all times.
Which runway is available at Van Nuys when the tower is closed?
At Van Nuys Airport, Runway 16L/34R is closed and unlit whenever the control tower is closed, leaving Runway 16R/34L as the only usable runway during those hours. Pilots operating when the tower is closed must self-announce on frequency 119.3 prior to landing or departing. The medium intensity approach lighting system on Runway 16R and the high intensity runway lights on 16R/34L must be activated by the pilot when the tower is closed. Clearance delivery during tower closure is handled by contacting SoCal Approach instead of the local tower frequency.
Can air carriers operate at KVNY?
Van Nuys Airport is closed to air carrier operations, meaning scheduled commercial airline traffic is not permitted at this field. The airport instead handles a high volume of business aviation traffic, with FAA TFMSC data showing 54,646 business aviation operations against 65,108 total annual operations in 2025. Formation arrivals and departures are also prohibited except for emergency response aircraft. Helicopter operators must contact the tower directly for approach and departure routing rather than using fixed-wing procedures.
What is the runway length available at Van Nuys Airport?
Van Nuys Airport offers two paved asphalt runways for operations. Runway 16R/34L is the primary runway at 8,001 feet long and 150 feet wide, and all jet aircraft must use its full length for departure unless otherwise directed by the tower. Runway 16L/34R is shorter, at 4,013 feet long and 75 feet wide, and its approach ratio is 53:1 measured from the displaced threshold. Because 16L/34R closes and goes unlit when the tower is closed, jet traffic effectively depends on 16R/34L during those periods.
Does KVNY have customs facilities for international arrivals?
Van Nuys Airport has CBP inspection services available onsite along with a USDA compliance agreement, supporting international arrivals directly at the field. This places KVNY among the business aviation airports in the Los Angeles area with onsite federal inspection capability rather than requiring a diversion to a nearby customs airport. The airport sits roughly 11.85 nautical miles from its metro area and operates under FAA air traffic control. Given the volume of business aviation traffic, over 54,000 operations in 2025 per FAA TFMSC data, onsite customs processing supports the airport's role as a preferred entry point for private and charter flights into the Los Angeles basin.