Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
El Paso International Airport (KELP) sits on the northeastern edge of El Paso, Texas, close to the US/Mexico border and within a couple of miles of Biggs Army Airfield. A busy Class C field with a long instrument runway and full ILS coverage, it also hosts general aviation traffic through resident fixed-base operators, making it a practical and historically interesting stop for a sim pilot flying the Southwest.
El Paso International Airport is a large, city-owned commercial airport serving West Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico, operated by the El Paso Aviation Department. Alongside its airline traffic it supports general aviation through long-established fixed-base operators, and its position hard against the international border and next to a military airfield gives it a distinctive operating environment that is worth understanding before a VFR or IFR flight into the field.
KELP lies within Class C airspace and sits only about 3.5 miles north of the US/Mexico border, close to downtown El Paso. Biggs Army Airfield (KBIF) is less than two miles to the north, so pilots need to be alert to the proximity of military airspace. A designated Southeast Practice Area lies southeast of the El Paso Class C airspace, east of the Mexican border, south of the ELP VORTAC 090 radial and within roughly 30 nautical miles of the VORTAC; a published VFR departure, the Downtown transition, routes traffic southwest over downtown El Paso. Pilots inbound from the west over downtown are advised to contact Approach Control before entering the Class C airspace.
El Paso International has three physical runways. The primary instrument runway, 04/22, is a hard-surfaced, lit strip with ILS serving both ends, recorded at 12,000 ft from the 22 threshold and 10,612 ft from the 04 threshold. Runway 08R/26L is a hard-surfaced, lit runway of 9,004 ft in both directions. Runway 08L/26R is a shorter hard-surfaced, lit runway, listed as 5,478 ft from the 08L threshold and 5,536 ft from the 26R threshold. Field elevation is 3,940 ft.
El Paso Tower operates on 118.3 MHz, with Ground on 121.9 MHz. ATIS broadcasts on 120.0 MHz. Approach and Departure control share 119.15 MHz, and Clearance Delivery is on 125.0 MHz. Albuquerque Radio is available on 122.4 MHz, and UNICOM is on 122.95 MHz. The airport is equipped with an ILS, supporting instrument approaches to runway 04/22.
Because KELP lies within Class C airspace, arriving VFR traffic from the west over downtown El Paso is expected to contact Approach Control before reaching the Class C boundary. A published VFR departure route, the Downtown transition, takes outbound traffic southwest over downtown El Paso. Pilots should also be mindful of the nearby Biggs Army Airfield traffic pattern given the short separation between the two fields.
Useful visual references for locating and joining the airport include downtown El Paso itself, immediately southwest of the field, and the Franklin Mountains to the north, near the site of the original 1928 El Paso Municipal Airport. The US/Mexico border, only a few miles to the south, and the adjacent Biggs Army Airfield to the north are also key landmarks for orientation.
The City of El Paso built its first municipal airport near the east side of the Franklin Mountains in 1928, a project credited to Alderman Robert N. Mullin and inspired by a visit from Charles Lindbergh; that original field closed by 1945. What is now El Paso International Airport was originally built as Standard Airport by Standard Airlines in 1929 to support transcontinental air mail service, with Standard Airlines becoming a division of American Airlines during the 1930s. In 1936 American Airlines swapped airports with the City of El Paso, giving rise to El Paso International Airport as it is known today. During the Second World War the airfield served as El Paso Army Airfield, a United States Army Air Forces training base that hosted the 385th Bombardment Group (Heavy) flying B-17 Flying Fortresses, the 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy) flying B-24 Liberators, and the 497th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) flying B-29 Superfortresses, all later serving overseas. On 3 August 1961 the airport was the last stop of the first major US airliner hijacking, involving a Continental Airlines Boeing 707. The terminal was tripled in size during a 1971 expansion designed by Garland and Hilles, retaining the outline of the original terminal building. General aviation gained a dedicated presence in 1982 when Cutter Aviation established a fixed-base operation at the field, later moving to a new facility on Shuttle Columbia Drive in 2006.
El Paso International continues to operate as the principal commercial airport for the region, with general aviation served by fixed-base operators including Cutter Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. Its Class C airspace, long ILS-equipped runway and proximity to Biggs Army Airfield make it a significant destination for both airline and general aviation traffic in the West Texas and Southern New Mexico area.
