Live flights at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)

ABQ KABQ  Albuquerque, United States

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ABQ at a glance

  • What it is: Albuquerque International Sunport is a regional airport serving Albuquerque, United States.
  • Codes: ABQ on your ticket, KABQ on the radar.
  • Size: 3 runways at 5,355 ft above sea level.
  • Right now: 5 aircraft are within 55 km, shown live on the map above.
  • Local time zone: America/Denver (UTC-6), so every time shown for ABQ is local rather than UTC.

Aircraft observed near ABQ

5 aircraft are within 55 km of ABQ right now. This is live ADS-B traffic, not a published timetable: aircraft are classified by what they are physically doing - Climbing out, on approach, or holding at cruise overhead. For gate numbers and scheduled times, check with ABQ directly or your airline.

Departing now

FlightOperatorRouteStatusAltitudeSpeed
SWA3184 Southwest Airlines route not published on stand or taxiing — 13 kts
UAL212 United Airlines DEN → SBA climbing out 7,350 ft 212 kts
SWA136 Southwest Airlines route not published climbing out 12,650 ft 361 kts
SKW6324 — STL → ORD climbing out 20,875 ft 335 kts

Arriving now

FlightOperatorRouteStatusAltitudeSpeed
N692W — route not published on approach 10,575 ft 263 kts
3
Runways
5355 ft
Field elevation

About Albuquerque International Sunport

Albuquerque International Sunport lies in the temperate mid-latitudes at 35.04° N, 106.61° W, on America/Denver time (UTC-6).

Albuquerque International Sunport has 3 runways. The longest, 08/26, measures 13,793 ft by 150 ft, which puts the field in the full-length intercontinental category: a fully loaded Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 can depart for the far side of the world. The surface is concrete. None of them carry runway lighting, which restricts operations to daylight and good visibility.

Runway 08/26 is aligned roughly east/west, which is the clearest hint you get about the prevailing wind here: runways are built to face the wind that blows most often, because aircraft take off and land into it. With 3 runways across 3 different headings, crews can pick whichever best suits the wind.

The runways are not interchangeable. 12/30 is 6,000 ft against 08/26's 13,793 ft, a difference of 7,793 ft, so the shorter one generally takes regional traffic while the longer handles anything heavy.

The field sits at 5,355 ft, high enough that density altitude matters. Takeoff runs stretch on warm afternoons and climb performance is weaker than the same aircraft would manage at sea level.

Runways at ABQ

RunwayLengthWidthSurfaceLighting
08/26 13,793 ft (4,204 m) 150 ft Concrete Unlit
03/21 10,000 ft (3,048 m) 150 ft Concrete Unlit
12/30 6,000 ft (1,829 m) 150 ft Concrete Unlit

Runway numbers are the magnetic heading rounded to ten degrees, which is why they change when the magnetic field drifts - runway numbers explained.

Airports near ABQ

Great-circle distance from Albuquerque International Sunport, closest first.

AirportCodeDistanceDirectionCity
City of Colorado Springs Municipal COS 452 km north Colorado Springs
Phoenix Sky Harbor PHX 527 km west Phoenix
Denver DEN 562 km north Denver
IATA / ICAO
ABQ / KABQ
Location
Albuquerque, United States 35.040, -106.609
Time zone
America/Denver
Opened

Nearby and related airports

Geographically close airports and useful alternatives in United States.

COS City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport Colorado Springs, United States
PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix, United States
DEN Denver International Airport Denver, United States
LAS Harry Reid International Airport Las Vegas, United States
SLC Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City, United States
DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Dallas - Fort Worth, United States
DAL Dallas Love Field Dallas, United States
LAX Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles, United States

More airports and guides connected to ABQ

Thin mountain air changes how planes take off here, which cruising altitude explained unpacks. Nearby, Colorado Springs (COS) serves the same country. The codes ABQ and KABQ are explained in airport codes decoded.

Data sources and review

Reviewed 2026-07-29 by Flight-Tracker.net Editorial Team

This profile is generated from the airport's published coordinates, elevation and runway records. It does not claim live terminal or passenger totals.

Read our airport data sourcing and review process, or inspect the machine-readable reference dataset.

Frequently asked questions about ABQ

What is the airport code for Albuquerque International Sunport?

Albuquerque International Sunport uses the IATA code ABQ on tickets and baggage tags, and the ICAO code KABQ in flight plans and on radar. The leading “K” in KABQ is the region marker: ICAO codes are grouped geographically, which is why airports near each other usually share their first letter or two while their IATA codes look unrelated.

How many runways does ABQ have?

Albuquerque International Sunport operates 3 runways. The field sits at 5,355 ft above sea level.

What time zone is ABQ in?

Albuquerque International Sunport operates on America/Denver local time. Scheduled departure and arrival times for this airport are always published in local time, not UTC.

Can I track flights at ABQ live?

Yes. The map on this page shows every aircraft broadcasting its position within about 55 km of Albuquerque International Sunport, and there are 5 in range as this page loaded. The boards split them into departures, arrivals and traffic passing overhead, all timed in America/Denver.