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Data source: OurAirports (2026-09-01 Snapshot) · Methodology & Verification →

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Oakland, California (United States)

IATA: OAK ICAO: KOAK

Longest Active Runway

10,520 ft

3,206 meters

Field Elevation

9 ft

3 m MSL

Runway Inventory

4 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

37.7201°, -122.2212°

LARGE AIRPORT

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Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

tied #444 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#712 of 7558

Top 9.4% percentile worldwide

For airports with equal runway length, the worldwide order does not indicate a length difference.

National Standing (United States)

#45 of 63 in US

#135 of 2020 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+5.2%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 OAK in numbers: 10,520 ft longest runway · tied #444 of 650 published · #712 of 7,558 worldwide (top 9.4%) · #45 in United States.

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Editorial Aerodrome Deep Dive: Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)

Curated Aerodrome Profile

San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport is the operational counterweight to SFO. Because it sits slightly inland from the Golden Gate fog channel, OAK experiences far fewer low-ceiling weather delays. Its 10,520 ft runway 12/30 handles heavy FedEx transpacific MD-11 and 777 freighters alongside high-frequency Southwest passenger banks. Located at 9 ft MSL, OAK offers optimal sea-level engine thrust and braking performance.

Runway Layout & Magnetic Alignments

Four active runways: South Airfield primary Runway 12/30 (10,520 ft / 3,206 m) and North Airfield general aviation parallels 10L/28R (5,458 ft), 10R/28L (6,213 ft), and 15/33 (3,376 ft).

Expansion Milestones & Predecessor Facilities

Dedicated in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh. Historic departure point for Amelia Earhart and early transpacific aviators; expanded in the jet age to become Southwest Airlines' premier Northern California base and a major FedEx hub.

Regional Differentiation & Cluster Role

Primary East Bay alternative to San Francisco International (SFO, 9 NM southwest across the bay), enjoying significantly higher weather reliability during marine fog.

Data Nuances & Operational Quirks

Commercial jet traffic is concentrated on Runway 12/30, segregated entirely from general aviation on the North Airfield.

📚 Official Aerodrome Sourcing: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) · FAA Form 5010-1 Airport Master Record & NFDC Surveyed Aeronautical Data · AirNav OAK Master Record ↗

Verification Methodology →

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway ≥10,500 ft

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Elevation & National Context

Lowland Aerodrome (<2,000 ft)

OAK lies at 3 m (9 ft), #633 of 650 published airports by elevation and 3.1 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is 598 ft below the United States median (607 ft, 63 airports); COS is highest at 6,187 ft, 6,178 ft higher than OAK.

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Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

2 Qualifying Aerodromes in Vicinity

Closest of 2 paved-runway (≥5,000 ft) neighbours within 100 NM: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 9.5 NM, 11,870 ft. Next: SJC 25.6 NM. SFO has the radius's longest runway, 1,350 ft more than OAK.

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Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 10,520 ft (3,206 m)

OAK runways: 12/30 10,520 × 150 ft asphalt (asp); 10R/28L 6,213 × 150 ft asphalt (asp); 10L/28R 5,457 × 150 ft asphalt (asp); 15/33 3,376 × 75 ft asphalt (asp). National standing: #45 of 63 in United States; DEN leads by 5,480 ft (16,000 ft). +5.2% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
12/30	10,520 ft (3206 m / 3.206 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
10R/28L	6,213 ft (1894 m / 1.894 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
10L/28R	5,457 ft (1663 m / 1.663 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
15/33	3,376 ft (1029 m / 1.029 km)	75 ft (23m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🧭 Comparative Aerodromes (100 NM Radius, ≥5,000 ft Paved)

Great-circle Haversine spatial proximity matching for commercial facilities with paved runway capacity within 100 NM.

Aerodrome Name	IATA	Distance	Longest Runway	Lighting
San Francisco International Airport (San Francisco)	`SFO`	9.5 NM (17.6 km)	11,870 ft	✅ Lighted
Mineta San Jose International Airport (San Jose)	`SJC`	25.6 NM (47.4 km)	11,000 ft	✅ Lighted

🛡️ Source: OurAirports Open Aviation Database, snapshot 2026-09-01 · Provenance →