Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Northwest Arkansas National Airport (KXNA) is the principal commercial gateway for the Fayetteville-Bentonville-Rogers-Springdale corridor, sitting on high ground near Highfill in Benton County, Arkansas. Opened in 1998 to replace the more limited Drake Field, it has grown into a busy Class C facility with two long parallel hard-surface runways, making it a straightforward and well-equipped destination for a simulated cross-country into northwest Arkansas.
Northwest Arkansas National Airport, known to pilots by its ICAO code KXNA, serves the fast-growing cluster of towns that make up Northwest Arkansas: Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale. It is owned and operated by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority and is home to scheduled airline services as well as general aviation and air taxi movements. For a simulator pilot the field offers a modern, towered airport experience with two substantial parallel runways, set in gently rolling Ozark countryside a short distance from the headquarters of Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt Transport Services, whose corporate traffic forms a notable part of the airport's business.
The airport lies in Benton County, Arkansas, close to the town of Highfill, and is roughly equidistant from Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale. It is about 15 nautical miles northwest of Fayetteville and around 10 nautical miles northwest of Springdale. The airport is tagged as Class C airspace, reflecting its status as a towered, scheduled-service field, with approach and departure services provided under the Razorback identity.
Northwest Arkansas National Airport has two parallel physical runways. Runway 16/34 is 8,795 feet long with a hard surface and runway lighting, and Runway 17/35 is 8,791 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit. The field lies at an elevation of 1,276 feet, and no ILS approach is available on the runways as listed.
Air traffic services are provided from the tower on 127.1 MHz, which also serves as the CTAF. Ground movements are handled on 121.9 MHz, and the ATIS/ASOS broadcast is available on 119.425 MHz. Approach and departure control operates under the Razorback callsign, with a radio outlet listed on 122.55 MHz, and UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz for use outside towered hours or for non-towered traffic advisories.
Before Northwest Arkansas National Airport was built, Drake Field in Fayetteville served as the region's primary airport, but its operational limitations prompted local leaders to seek a more capable site. In 1990 the Northwest Arkansas Council, a private non-profit body chaired by Alice L. Walton, began work that led to the formation of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority, with representation from Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Springdale and Benton and Washington counties. The airport opened on 1 November 1998 with a single terminal and runway. It operated for over two decades as Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport before being renamed Northwest Arkansas National Airport in December 2019, a change officials attributed to the perception benefits of the new name in attracting further airline service. The airport's traffic has long been shaped by its proximity to Walmart's Bentonville headquarters, with a commercial agreement between Walmart and American Airlines contributing to an expansion of flights, including nonstop service to New York. In 2023 the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation allowing regional airport authorities to detach from municipalities, and XNA subsequently began the process of detaching from the city of Highfill.
Northwest Arkansas National Airport is now the busiest airport in Arkansas by passenger volume, having surpassed Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock in early summer 2025 after handling over 2.5 million passengers that year. Traffic at the field has historically been a mix of air taxi, military, general aviation and scheduled commercial movements, reflecting its dual role as a regional airline hub and a base for corporate and general aviation flying tied to the major companies headquartered nearby.