Albert Lea Municipal Airport

AEL · KAEL · Albert Lea, MN · Non-towered · Print kneeboard

Elevation
1,261 ft MSL
Longest runway
5,000 ft 17/35
Runways
2
Mag var
1E

Nearby now

Loading…

Weather

METAR observed

Loading current weather…

TAF forecast

Loading forecast…

Sun & FAA night2026-08-04 · night begins 09:05 PM
EventLocal (CDT)UTC
Morning civil twilight
Loggable night ends
05:33 AM10:33Z
Sunrise06:05 AM11:05Z
Sunset08:33 PM01:33Z
Evening civil twilight
Loggable night begins
09:05 PM02:05Z
Loggable night (§1.1)
09:05 PM → 05:33 AM
Night currency (§61.57)
09:33 PM → 05:05 AM

Plan a flight from KAEL

Past 24 hours category · wind · ceiling · visibility trends

Loading station history…

Winds aloft NOAA forecast · 3,000 to 53,000 ft

Loading winds aloft…

Advisories

NOTAMs

Loading NOTAMs…

Pilot reports

Loading PIREPs…

Airspace hazards

Checking advisories…

Runways

5,000 ftNMNxw 077°downwind 347°base 257°final 167°45° entry17233505

RWY 17LEFT traffic

Heading
167° mag · 168° true
Dimensions
5,000 × 100 ft
TPA
2,001 ft MSL · 740 AGL · charted
Surface
Asphalt
Lights
4-light PAPI (left) (3°) + ODALS
CTAF
123.0

Enter the left downwind (heading 347°) on the 45° at 2,001 ft MSL.

More details — RWY 17
Threshold elev
1,260 ft
Markings
nonprecision
Threshold crossing height
30 ft
TDZ elevation
1,260 ft
End lights
REIL

Condition: Good. Edge lights: Med. Weight bearing: Single wheel 19k, Double wheel 29k.

Pattern side: FAA NASR · TPA charted (NASR) · layout: FAA runway-end coordinates

ft · ≥1.5× comfortable, under 1.25× tight · saved across airports

Prefer one flat page? Full runway details for KAEL → · New to pattern entries? The 45° entry, explained → · Teaching here? Print the KAEL kneeboard →

Comms & NavAids

Communication frequencies

Before taxi

ASOS/AWOS
119.575

Taxi & takeoff

CTAF
123.0
UNICOM
123.0

Departure & arrival

“Rochester”
App/Dep
119.8

Also

Flight service
132.35 LOW

ATC assigns the exact frequency (in your clearance or on handoff) — which one depends on your SID (departing) or STAR (arriving).

By procedure & sector (2 frequencies)
FrequencyUsed by
251.125APCH/P DEP/P
307.3ROCHESTER RCAG (LOW)

Source: FAA NASR (current 28-day cycle).

Nearby navigation aids

AEL 109.80 · FOW 111.20 · RST 112.00 · +1
NavAidTypeFreq · chRangeRadial / Dist magnetic
AEL · Albert Lea VOR/DME 109.80 · 35X Terminal r094° / 0.2 NM
FOW · Halfway VOR/DME 111.20 · 49X Terminal r178° / 31.4 NM
RST · Rochester VOR/DME 112.00 · 57X Low r255° / 34 NM
MCW · Mason City VOR/DME 114.90 · 96X High r351° / 35.3 NM

Prefer one flat list? All KAEL frequencies →

Charts & procedures

Airport
Approaches
Minimums

Lowest minimums here: RNAV (GPS) with vertical guidance · VFR sectional →

Airport info

From the field

Do you run KAEL, or an FBO, flight school, or shop on it? Claim your listing to keep fuel, fees, hours, and services current.

Airport information

ICAO / IATA
KAEL / AEL
Coordinates
43.6815, -93.3672
Elevation
1,261 ft MSL
Magnetic variation
1E
Sectional chart
OMAHA
Airport use
Public
Control tower
No
Weather station
AWOS-3PT · 119.575 · ☎ 507-377-1583
ARTCC
MINNEAPOLIS (ZMP)
Flight service (FSS)
PRINCETON · 122.2 · 1-800-WX-BRIEF
NOTAM facility
AEL
Attendance
ALL 0800-1700
Beacon
white-green (SS-SR)
Segmented circle
No
Wind indicator
lighted
Landing fee
Yes
Activated
1942/03
Distance from city
3 N

Night operations

Airport lighting
SEE RMK
Rotating beacon
white-green · SS-SR
Pilot-controlled lighting
ACTVT ODALS RWY 17; REIL RWY 17 & 35; PAPI RWY 17 & 35; MIRL RWY 17/35 - CTAF. MIRL RWY 17/35 PRESET TO LOW SS-SR TO INCR INTST - CTAF. on 123.0Chart Supplement ↗

Runway lighting aids — 17: 4-light PAPI (left) + ODALS · 35: 4-light PAPI (left).

FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are under Sun & FAA night in the Weather section.

Services fuel · repairs · oxygen · attendance
Fuel available
100LL, Jet A, MOGAS
Bottled oxygen
NONE
Bulk oxygen
NONE
Airframe service
MINOR
Powerplant service
MINOR
Parking
tiedowns, hangars
Other services
Instruction, Rental, Aircraft sales
Ownership & management 2 contacts
Owner
CITY OF ALBERT LEA
221 E CLARK STREET, ALBERT LEA, MN
507-377-4300
Manager
JIM HANSON
73950 275TH ST., CLARKS GROVE, MN
507-373-0608
Remarks FAA · 9 notes

General

  • TV TWR 9.5 NM SE.
  • GLIDERS & HELICOPTERS USE TURF PARALLEL TO RY 17/35 ON EAST SIDE & APPR AREA TO RY 23.
  • MULTIPLE TRANSITIONAL OBSTNS RY 05 & RY 35.
  • FOR CD CTC ROCHESTER APCH AT 507-424-8111.

Lighting

  • ACTVT ODALS RWY 17; REIL RWY 17 & 35; PAPI RWY 17 & 35; MIRL RWY 17/35 - CTAF. MIRL RWY 17/35 PRESET TO LOW SS-SR TO INCR INTST - CTAF.

Fuel

  • 100LL & MOGAS FUEL AVBL 24 HR WITH CREDIT CARD.

Obstructions

  • RWY 05 HAS 5 FT BRUSH 79 FT FM THE RWY END AND 79 FT RIGHT.

Contact

  • EMAIL ADDRESS: JIMHANSON@DESKMEDIA.COM (ALL LOWER CASE)

Attendance

  • FOR SVC AFT HRS CALL 507-826-3451.
Embed KAEL weather on your site free widget for schools, clubs & FBOs

Live METAR, flight category, and favored runway for KAEL — paste this into your website's HTML. It updates automatically and stays free.

<iframe src="https://skyready.app/embed/airport?icao=KAEL" title="KAEL live weather — SkyReady" width="100%" height="300" style="border:1px solid #dce5f2;border-radius:12px;max-width:420px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font:14px system-ui;margin:6px 0 0"><a href="https://skyready.app/airport/kael">KAEL live weather &amp; runways by SkyReady</a></p>

More widgets — crosswind, E6B, density altitude — on the embed page.

Nearby airports

Loading nearby conditions…

Also nearby: 5D2 Northwood Municipal Airport (16 NM) · 53MN Radloff's Cedar View Farms Airport (17 NM) · 0Y6 Lake Mills Municipal Airport (17 NM) · 68Y Wells Municipal Airport (18 NM) · MN74 B & D Flyers International Airport (private) (22 NM)

About KAEL

Albert Lea Municipal Airport (AEL · KAEL) is an airport in Albert Lea, MN, at 1,261 ft MSL. It has 2 runways, the longest 5,000 ft, with no control tower (pilot-controlled). This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for KAEL, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.

Does KAEL have a control tower?

No. Albert Lea Municipal Airport is a non-towered (pilot-controlled) airport; use the published CTAF/UNICOM in the Comms & NavAids section.

What is the longest runway at KAEL?

Albert Lea Municipal Airport has 2 runways; the longest is 5,000 ft. See the Runways section for headings, surface, and lighting.

Where is KAEL?

Albert Lea Municipal Airport is in Albert Lea, MN, at an elevation of 1,261 ft MSL. Coordinates: 43.6815, -93.3672.

Fly out of KAEL often?

Save KAEL as your home base in the SkyReady app for a one-tap Go/No-Go readiness brief, weather alerts, and automatic FAA currency — free to log.

Get the appSoon

Weather is live from the Aviation Weather Center; airport facility data is from the FAA NASR (28-day cycle). For planning and education only; always verify against official sources. Open KAEL in a full tool: METAR/TAF decoder, crosswind calculator, sun & night times, or the density altitude calculator. Planning from here? Find the nearest airport with fuel or an approach, or check whether an IFR alternate is required.