N E S W 180°
16 / 34
RWY 16/34
HDG 180°
LEN 6,700 ft
Bellingham International Airport

Runway 16 at KBLI

Runway 16/34 at Bellingham International Airport (KBLI) in Bellingham is a 6,700 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 180°/000°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 697 landings and 1,363 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.4°, touchdowns averaging 10,852 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 115 kt, a 1.7 kt average crosswind component, a 5.6 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
2060 Operations
1363 Deps / 697 Arrs

Runway 16/34 at Bellingham International Airport (KBLI) in Bellingham is a 6,700 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 180°/000°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 697 landings and 1,363 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.4°, touchdowns averaging 10,852 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 115 kt, a 1.7 kt average crosswind component, a 5.6 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

697 landings observed on Runway 16 in the last 30 days, alongside 1,363 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 16:00 with 8 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 10,852 ft from the threshold on Runway 16.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KBLI have prevailed from the south (180°), accounting for roughly 49% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 4.7 kt with peak gusts to 43 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 1.7 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 16 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.4° on Runway 16, steeper than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 16 over the last 30 days. Each value is shown only when at least 10 valid samples were available; sparse cells are hidden rather than estimated.

Avg approach slope
3.4°
Avg touchdown GS
115 kts
Avg touchdown zone
10,852 ft
Avg headwind
5.6 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 2 landings
01:00 1 landings
02:00 2 landings
03:00 1 landings
06:00 2 landings
08:00 1 landings
12:00 1 landings
14:00 1 landings
15:00 2 landings
16:00 8 landings
17:00 4 landings
18:00 3 landings
19:00 8 landings
20:00 3 landings
21:00 4 landings
22:00 2 landings
23:00 5 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 16 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

Approach Types and Categories

Aircraft approach runways using different procedures based on weather conditions, visibility, and available navigation equipment. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach provides precision horizontal and vertical guidance using ground-based radio signals, enabling aircraft to land in low visibility conditions. Visual approaches require pilots to maintain visual contact with the runway and surrounding terrain, typically used during clear weather. Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches use GPS technology to guide aircraft along specific flight paths.

Approach Categories Explained

Category (CAT) classifications define minimum visibility and decision height requirements for instrument approaches. Higher categories enable operations in lower visibility conditions.

CAT I
Decision Height: 200 ft
Visibility: 550m
CAT II
Decision Height: 100 ft
Visibility: 300m
CAT III
Decision Height: 0-50 ft
Visibility: 0-200m
Visual
Clear of Clouds
Visibility: 5 km

Wind and Environmental Factors

Wind conditions directly impact runway operations, influencing approach difficulty, landing performance, and runway selection. Runway 16 benefits from favorable wind alignment, with prevailing winds creating minimal crosswind components for most operations. Average wind speeds of 12 knots pose no operational constraints for commercial aircraft.

24-Hour Wind Pattern

06:00
160° at 7 kts, gusting 17 kts
7 kts
08:00
190° at 9 kts, gusting 16 kts
9 kts
14:00
170° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
15:00
185° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts
16:00
184° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
17:00
211° at 5 kts, gusting 4 kts
5 kts
18:00
180° at 8 kts, gusting 17 kts
8 kts
19:00
213° at 7 kts, gusting 15 kts
7 kts
20:00
227° at 6 kts, gusting 4 kts
6 kts
21:00
198° at 7 kts, gusting 15 kts
7 kts
22:00
195° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts
23:00
222° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
00:00
180° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
02:00
200° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
03:00
180° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
12:00
200° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
01:00
180° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
METAR
0° at 0 kts, gusting 0 kts
0 kts

Wind patterns show typical diurnal variation with stronger winds during midday hours.

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
180°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 2060 operations recorded over the past 30 days, derived from global ADS-B flight broadcasts. Coverage may be incomplete in areas with limited ground-station reception, and statistics may vary with weather and traffic volume.