Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
St Paul Island Airport is a remote instrument-equipped airfield on St Paul Island in Alaska's Pribilof Islands, sited in the Bering Sea and served by Anchorage Center. Its single long, lit runway with an ILS makes it an important all-weather link for this isolated community, and it is of interest to simulator pilots seeking a genuinely remote North Pacific approach.
St Paul Island Airport (ICAO PASN, IATA SNP) serves St Paul Island, the largest of Alaska's Pribilof Islands, lying far out in the Bering Sea. It is classed as a medium airport with scheduled airline service, and its single hard-surfaced, lit runway equipped with an ILS gives it an all-weather capability that is unusual for such an isolated location, making it a distinctive and challenging destination for a simulator pilot flying long-haul general aviation or regional airliner routes across the Bering Sea.
The airport lies at coordinates 57.1663 N, 170.223 W at an elevation of 52 feet, situated a few miles northeast of the town of St Paul on St Paul Island. Approach and departure control is provided by Anchorage Center on 119.1 MHz (also published as 119.1/339.8 as Saint Paul Island RCAG), reflecting the field's position within a vast, sparsely controlled expanse of Alaskan airspace far from other aerodromes.
The airport has a single physical runway, 18/36, of hard surface construction, lit, and 6449 feet long as runway 36 and 6448 feet long as runway 18. An instrument landing system serves runway 36, and both ends are equipped with PAPI visual approach slope indicators.
Traffic should monitor the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) on 122.3 MHz, which also carries the high-intensity runway lighting activation for runway 18/36. Weather information is broadcast on the ASOS at 135.75 MHz. Anchorage Center provides approach and departure services on 119.1 MHz (339.8 MHz), and flight service is available on 122.45 MHz, with a further Cold Bay radio outlet on 122 MHz. Runway 36 has an ILS, and the field also has an MALSF approach lighting system serving both runway 18 and runway 36.
Pilots should activate the runway lighting and PAPI on the CTAF frequency of 122.3 MHz when operating outside of any staffed hours. Seasonal environmental restrictions apply: flight below 1000 feet should be avoided from 14 May to 14 September in areas with active bird populations, and at other times in areas with coastal seal rookeries, reflecting the island's significance as a wildlife habitat.
Notable obstacles near the field include three 100-foot wind turbines a quarter of a mile southwest of the approach end of the runway, and a 45-foot lit tower positioned 350 feet west and 1000 feet north of the runway. A weather balloon launch facility is also located on the airport itself, which can serve as a useful visual reference when inbound.
St Paul Island Airport continues to operate as a medium airport with scheduled airline service, supporting the remote community of St Paul in the Pribilof Islands. A weather balloon launch facility operates on the airfield, and Anchorage Center and the National Weather Service maintain an operational presence through the airport's frequencies. Given the extreme remoteness of the location and the seasonal wildlife flight restrictions in effect for part of the year, pilots should plan carefully before operating into the field.