PAFA / FAI — Fairbanks International Airport

VFR

Medium Regional Airport • Fairbanks, AK, United States

Elevation: 439 ft (134 m) • 64.8151, -147.8560

Fairbanks International Airport (PAFA / FAI) is a medium regional airport serving Fairbanks, AK, United States, situated at an elevation of 439 ft (134 m) above sea level. Local magnetic variation is 15.0° East. The airport has 8 runways, with the longest measuring 11,800 feet.

Aviation Visualizations

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFRFlight CategoryVis >5SM, Ceiling >3000ft

WIND COMPASS

NESW4ktMagVar +15.0

CLOUD PROFILE

SFC3k6k9k12k15k18k21kFew 7000ftBroken 10000ftBroken 20000ftCloud Profile

Current METAR

METAR PAFA 221153Z 04004KT 10SM FEW070 BKN100 BKN200 13/12 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP154 70006 T01280122 10206 20122 50002 $
Category:
VFR
Wind:
040° at 4 knots
Visibility:
10SM
Temp/Dew:
13°C / 12°C
Altimeter:
29.98 inHg

TAF Forecast

TAF PAFA 221130Z 2212/2318 VRB03KT P6SM SCT080 SCT120 
  FM222100 25006KT P6SM VCSH SCT060 BKN120 
  PROB30 2222/2304 VRB10G20KT P6SM -TSRA BKN060CB OVC120 
  FM230600 VRB03KT P6SM SCT080 SCT100

Runways

Designator Length Width Surface Heading
02 2,900 ft 75 ft GRVL 38°
02L 11,800 ft 150 ft ASPH-G 38°
02R 6,501 ft 100 ft ASPH-G 38°
02W 5,400 ft 100 ft WATER 38°
20 2,900 ft 75 ft GRVL 218°
20L 6,501 ft 100 ft ASPH-G 218°
20R 11,800 ft 150 ft ASPH-G 218°
20W 5,400 ft 100 ft WATER 218°

Nearby Airports

PAFB
Ladd Army Airfield
Fairbanks • 12 km
PAEI
Eielson Air Force Base
Fairbanks • 39 km
PANN
Nenana Municipal Airport
Nenana • 65 km
PAAN
Gold King Creek Airport
Fairbanks • 69 km
PACL
Clear Airport
Clear • 83 km
PAHV
Healy River Airport
Healy • 118 km
PAIN
Denali National Park Airport
Denali Park • 131 km
PAML
Manley Hot Springs Airport
Manley Hot Springs • 133 km

Official Aviation Resources

FAA
Regulations & ATC info
1800wxBrief
Free preflight briefing
Aviation Weather Center
Forecasts & PIREPs
OurAirports
Charts, frequencies & data

Understanding Aviation Weather

METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is the standard format for reporting current weather conditions at airports worldwide. Issued every 30–60 minutes, it includes wind direction and speed, visibility, sky condition and cloud heights, temperature, dewpoint, and altimeter setting. Special METARs (SPECI) are issued when conditions change significantly.

TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) provides a weather forecast for the area within 5 nautical miles of an airport, valid for 24–30 hours. Issued every 6 hours by national weather services, TAFs use FM (from), TEMPO (temporary), BECMG (becoming), and PROB (probability) groups to describe changing conditions.

Flight Categories: VFR ceiling >3,000 ft & vis >5 SM   MVFR 1,000–3,000 ft or 3–5 SM   IFR 500–1,000 ft or 1–3 SM   LIFR <500 ft or <1 SM

Disclaimer: Weather data is sourced from official aviation weather services and may be delayed. Always verify conditions through official channels before flight. For informational purposes only.