Private Flights fromCatalina Airport (AVX)

Catalina Airport is unlike almost any other airfield private travelers will use: a 3,000-foot concrete runway carved into a mountaintop on Santa Catalina Island, roughly 1,600 feet above sea level and often shrouded in marine cloud in the mornings. It was built in the 1940s by leveling two mountain peaks, and it remains the only airport on the island, serving as an alternative to the roughly hour-long ferry from the mainland.

Because of its short runway, elevation, and lack of overrun area, Catalina Airport enforces real restrictions: a 12,500-pound maximum takeoff weight, daylight-only operations, and full-stop landings with no touch-and-go practice or intersection takeoffs. In practice, this makes the field suitable for light aircraft and turboprops rather than most business jets — Élan's team confirms aircraft eligibility and weather minimums well before departure.

For travelers willing to fly appropriately sized aircraft, the payoff is a scenic ridge-top arrival and a short shuttle down to Avalon, avoiding ferry schedules, seasickness, and the crowds at the Catalina Express terminal in Long Beach or San Pedro.