Wales Airport (PAIW), Alaska
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Wales Airport (PAIW) is a small, unattended public-use field on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, serving as the westernmost airport on the US mainland. It has a single gravel runway and no reported fuel service. Customs clearance is not available onsite; the nearest customs airport is Nome (PAOM), about 94.55 nm away.
Runways
Wales Airport has one unpaved runway, 18/36, 3,990 ft long and 75 ft wide, with a gravel 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
Wales Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Nome (PAOM), 95 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Wales Airport recorded 335 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in May. Business aviation traffic at PAIW peaks in May, July, August, and September, with fewer operations recorded in the winter months.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month May, 49 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Operating constraints
Wales Airport has published operating constraints in two categories: runway notes and other notes.
Easterly winds may cause severe turbulence in the vicinity of the runway.
Runway 18/36 medium intensity lighting is pilot-activated; PAPI and REIL are available on runways 18 and 36, activated via CTAF.
Runway conditions are not monitored; a visual inspection is recommended prior to landing.
Several runway lights are broken.
High terrain lies from the southeast through east of the airport.
A weather camera is available online at https://weathercams.faa.gov.
This is a cold temperature airport; altitude correction is required at or below -26°C.
Wind sock lighting is inoperative, and the wind sock may be missing.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Wales Airport has four airfields within 50 NM. The closest is Tin City Lrrs (PATC), 5.54 NM southeast.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at PAIW
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 PAIW.
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 runway does PAIW have?
PAIW has a single gravel runway, 18/36, measuring 3,990 feet long and 75 feet wide. There is no paved runway surface at Wales Airport, and runway lighting is pilot-activated MIRL on request via CTAF.
Is fuel available at Wales Airport?
No fuel type is listed in current data for Wales Airport (PAIW). Pilots should plan fuel stops elsewhere, as the field is unattended and has no confirmed fuel service on the airport diagram.
Can I clear customs at Wales Airport?
Wales Airport (PAIW) has no onsite customs service. The nearest customs airport is Nome (PAOM), located approximately 94.55 nm away, and pilots arriving from abroad should plan to clear there instead.