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Spanning 3,900 acres at the edge of Albuquerque’s South Valley just 4 miles southeast of downtown amid the Rio Grande Valley’s high-desert landscape, Albuquerque International Sunport (KABQ) is New Mexico’s busiest airport, handling 5.4 million passengers and 200,000+ operations annually. As a joint civil-military facility with 13,000 ft runways ideal for long-haul jets and GA pilots, it offers seamless commercial connections to 50+ destinations alongside robust general aviation services including FBOs, maintenance, and flight training—perfect for Southwest pilots blending business flights with Sandia Peak hikes or Balloon Fiesta arrivals under 300+ sunny days.

Coordinates: 35°02′19″N 106°36′55″W | Elevation: 5,355 ft (1,632 m) | Est. 1928

Brief History
Originally opened in 1928 as Albuquerque Airport on the Ox Ranch, KABQ evolved during WWII into a key Army Air Forces training base (Albuquerque Army Air Base) for B-24 Liberator crews, later becoming Oxnard Field in 1946. Renamed Albuquerque International Sunport in 1970 to evoke New Mexico’s “Land of Enchantment” solar heritage, it expanded with the Sunport Center terminal in 1983 and ongoing upgrades like the 2023 runway resurfacing, cementing its role as a vital Southwest gateway with military ties to Kirtland AFB.