Van Nuys Airport

Van Nuys is in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, on the flat, and the flat is the point. The west side is minutes away. So are the studios, and most of greater Los Angeles, depending on the hour. It is among the busiest general-aviation airports in the United States, and it is where a great deal of Southern California private flying is based, parked, washed, and sent back out. Aircraft reposition through here all day. A lot of the region's empty legs begin or end on this ramp.

Who flies here

Almost nobody flies commercially out of Van Nuys. VNY is a business and private field, and it is built like one. There is no concourse. You drive to a low building at the edge of the ramp, and the airplane is on the other side of the glass. Because the field sits in the center of the Valley, it is the default point of departure for a large share of charter trips out of the Los Angeles area.

On the field

The private terminals are called FBOs, and your flight leaves from one of them, not from anything you would recognize as a terminal. As of mid-2026 the FBOs at Van Nuys include Signature Aviation, Clay Lacy Aviation, Castle & Cooke Aviation, and Jet Aviation. The operator tells you which. You park, you walk out, and the interval between the car door and the climb is usually measured in minutes.

A bit of history

The field opened on December 17, 1928, the 25th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight, as the privately owned Metropolitan Airport. It was cut out of Valley walnut and peach groves, which is to say the runway went in among the trees. During World War II the military ran it as Van Nuys Army Airfield. It took its present name in 1949 and grew into the busiest general-aviation field in the country. It has traded that title away from time to time and never strayed far from the top of the list.

FBO and history details were checked mid-2026 against the airport's and operators' own published information. Tenants change, so confirm the departure terminal with your operator.