Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Louisville, Kentucky (United States)

IATA: SDF ICAO: KSDF

Longest Active Runway

11,887 ft

3,623 meters

Field Elevation

501 ft

153 m MSL

Runway Inventory

3 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

38.1706°, -85.7351°

LARGE AIRPORT

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Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

#210 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#334 of 7558

Top 4.4% percentile worldwide

National Standing (United States)

#25 of 63 in US

#77 of 2020 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+18.9%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 SDF in numbers: 11,887 ft longest runway · #210 of 650 published · #334 of 7,558 worldwide (top 4.4%) · #25 in United States.

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway ≥10,500 ft

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Elevation & National Context

Lowland Aerodrome (<2,000 ft)

SDF lies at 153 m (501 ft), #274 of 650 published airports by elevation and 51.8 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is 106 ft below the United States median (607 ft, 63 airports); COS is highest at 6,187 ft, 5,686 ft higher than SDF.

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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: Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), 72.7 NM, 12,001 ft. Next: IND 96.5 NM. CVG has the radius's longest runway, 114 ft more than SDF.

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Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 11,887 ft (3,623 m)

SDF runways: 17R/35L 11,887 × 150 ft concrete (con); 17L/35R 8,578 × 150 ft concrete (con); 11/29 7,251 × 150 ft concrete (con). National standing: #25 of 63 in United States; DEN leads by 4,113 ft (16,000 ft). +18.9% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
17R/35L	11,887 ft (3623 m / 3.623 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
17L/35R	8,578 ft (2615 m / 2.615 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
11/29	7,251 ft (2210 m / 2.210 km)	150 ft (46m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ 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
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (Cincinnati / Covington)	`CVG`	72.7 NM (134.6 km)	12,001 ft	✅ Lighted
Indianapolis International Airport (Indianapolis)	`IND`	96.5 NM (178.7 km)	11,200 ft	✅ Lighted

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