Bentonville Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA/KXNA), formerly known as Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, is a small regional airport in the Northwest of Arkansas serving the rapidly growing Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area with roughly 2 million passengers a year. The airport was opened in 1998, replacing the smaller Drake Field in Fayetteville which was at the time the primary airport serving Northwest Arkansas. Due to its proximity to the headquarters of many large businesses such as Walmart, Tyson Foods, and JB Hunt, the XNA airport acts as a vital transportation hub with service from all three main US carriers connecting the area to bigger US cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas or Chicago. In addition to the big three, XNA is served by budget airlines such as Breeze, Frontier, and Allegiant. The airport also is frequently used by athletic teams from the Arkansas Razorbacks and their opponents. The airport’s Fixed Based Operator (FBO), Regional Jet Center, also receives a good amount of business traffic in addition to military traffic (T-6’s, T-1’s, & T-38’s Mainly)

Written by Andrew Jeng. Last Update: 2024

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
16L/34R	2683m / 8801ft
16R/34L	2682m / 8800ft
Terminals
T1	There is one terminal facility handling all flights.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Ladder needed at spot 1.
Car/Public Transport	A car is needed at XNA, public transport does not help you a lot.
Drinks/Food	Except the terminal, there are no stores around the spots. Better bring food/drinks with you if you plan to stay longer.
Hotels	There is a hotel north of the terminal from where you might be able to spot 16 arrivals as well.
Season	Summer season is generally preferred with additional commercial traffic however the fall & winter season see a good amount of sports charters & other traffic.
Security	Spotting is no issue at XNA, but as you are in the US, always be prepared to be approached or checked by security personnel.
Runway Usage
General Info	The Main Runway (16L/34R) is used for all traffic. The secondary runway (16R/34L) is inactive and only occasionally used for aircraft taxiing. Winds favor Runway 16L in the Spring&Summer while they generally favor 34R in the Fall & Winter.

	Spot #1 – Regional Jet Center Parking – Taxiway B + 16L/34R Movements
WHERE	Once arriving by car to the airport, take Tower Dr and turn right into the Regional Jet Center Parking Lot. Once you turn into the parking lot, park your car in a spot near airport fence.
WHAT	All departures/arrivals on Runway 16L/34R and aircraft taxiing on Taxiway B. FBO ramp photos also possible.
TIME	Morning to noon in summer, morning to 11AM in winter
MISC.	Ladder strongly recommended at this spot but make sure the ladder is well behind the fence. Security is generally not an issue here.
FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm

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	Spot #2 – Parking Garage – Ramp + 34R Arrivals
WHERE	Drive to the airport and follow the signs to the parking deck. First hour is free of charge, Over one hour is $4 with every further hour being $2 up to $18/Day. Drive to the top floor and park your car on the northwest side of the garage.
WHAT	Arrivals on runway 34R as well as terminal/taxiway photos. Departures off 16L also possible but will be high.
TIME	Morning to noon in Summer, till noon in Winter for takeoff/landing photos. All day winter for terminal photos, till later noon in Summer.
MISC.	No security issues reported here, but keep a low profile all the time! Stow your camera for as long as possible and do not hang along the front. Haze can be an issue on summer days.
FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm

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