# Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA)

> Spokane, US · IATA: SKA · ICAO: KSKA · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `SKA` |
| ICAO | `KSKA` |
| City | Spokane |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 750 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 47.61510, -117.65600 |

## Description

An air base is not a freight address, and Fairchild Air Force Base (IATA: SKA, ICAO: KSKA) west of Spokane is the clearest example of that: it is a closed military installation with no civilian access, no commercial handling and no customs clearance for trade goods. The 92nd Air Refueling Wing and the Air National Guard's 141st fly the US Air Force's largest KC-135 Stratotanker fleet from here, with a mission covering aerial refuelling, military passenger and cargo airlift and aeromedical evacuation. The base also hosts the Air Force SERE school, where aircrews train in survival, evasion, resistance and escape. In March 2026 the 92nd ARW lost a KC-135 over western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury, the first wartime loss of a US tanker since 2013. All civilian traffic and regional air cargo run through Spokane International Airport (GEG) a few kilometres east, which offers belly and freighter capacity and customs clearance, with Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) the nearest major intercontinental gateway. For forwarders, consignments destined for the base move through the military transport chain rather than the commercial market.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/fairchild-air-force-base-airport-ska](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/fairchild-air-force-base-airport-ska)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/fairchild-air-force-base-airport-ska](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/fairchild-air-force-base-airport-ska)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/fairchild-air-force-base-airport-ska/llm-summary*