# Edward G. Pitka Sr Airport (GAL)

> Galena, US · IATA: GAL · ICAO: PAGA · Medium Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `GAL` |
| ICAO | `PAGA` |
| City | Galena |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 47 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 64.73620, -156.93700 |

## Description

Built in 1942 as Galena Army Airfield — a staging point on the Lend-Lease ferry route to Siberia and later a US Air Force forward interceptor base — Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL/PAGA) left a village of roughly 450 people with a 1,829 m paved runway plus a 792 m gravel and ski strip. The state-owned field is genuinely cargo capable: Everts Air Cargo calls at Galena on its scheduled freight network, and the airport works as a Bypass Mail transfer point where mainline aircraft deliver mail freight that Part 135 operators fly on to the surrounding Yukon River villages. There is no road hinterland at all, since Galena sits off the Alaska highway system: heavy goods and fuel arrive by river barge in summer and everything time-critical arrives by air. No customs office is based here, so international consignments clear at Anchorage (ANC) or Fairbanks (FAI) about 440 km east, which also provide the heavy freighter capacity. In 2024 the FAA awarded roughly USD 281,000 from the Airport Improvement Program to reseal the runway pavement. For shippers, GAL is best understood as the distribution point for the middle Yukon rather than a destination in its own right.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/edward-g-pitka-sr-airport-gal](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/edward-g-pitka-sr-airport-gal)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/edward-g-pitka-sr-airport-gal](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/edward-g-pitka-sr-airport-gal)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/edward-g-pitka-sr-airport-gal/llm-summary*