SDF · Louisville, United States
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
--:--:-- · EST (UTC-05:00) · 38.1706° N, 85.7351° W
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Airport serving Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for SDF
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 3873; ident KSDF; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
flylouisville.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
20 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
SDF / KSDF
OurAirports ident
KSDF
GPS / local code
KSDF / SDF
ISO region
US-KY
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
international scheduled-service gateway
Official host
flylouisville.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q1199087
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 6, 8:25 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--EST · UTC-05:00
Time zone
EST
America/Kentucky/Louisville · UTC-05:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
9.5 km
Approximate distance to central Louisville.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Washington, D.C.
Languages
English
Currency
USD ($)
Country area
9,525,067 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
3 runways
Longest runway
11,887 ft / 3,623 m
Runway surface
concrete (3)
Opened / operator
1941 · Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Owner / entity
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
international scheduled-service gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
20 source-backed signals
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a international scheduled-service gateway for Louisville, United States. Louisville's built-up core sits roughly 9.5 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/Kentucky/Louisville (UTC-05:00, EST). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 3 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF / KSDF) is at 38.1706° N, 85.7351° W, elevation 501 ft (153 m), serving Louisville, United States.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Louisville is in United States (capital Washington, D.C.); regulated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); on America/Kentucky/Louisville (EST, UTC-05:00); working languages: English; currency: USD ($).
Distance from central Louisville: 10 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for SDF.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF / KSDF)
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport · Airport serving Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Known label 1
Louisville International
Alternate airport-name cue retained for SDF, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
Standiford Field
Alternate airport-name cue retained for SDF, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
KSDF · KSDF · SDF · US-KY
flylouisville.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Okolona
okolona · 5.3 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 17,134 · city coordinates 38.1412, -85.6877
2. Newburg
newburg · 6.7 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 19,967 · city coordinates 38.1601, -85.6597
3. Shively
shively · 8.3 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 15,713 · city coordinates 38.2001, -85.8227
4. Louisville
louisville · 9.5 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 624,444 · city coordinates 38.2542, -85.7594
5. Highview
highview · 10 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 15,167 · city coordinates 38.1429, -85.6241
6. Pleasure Ridge Park
pleasure-ridge-park · 11 km from SDF
United States · America/Kentucky/Louisville · +0h · population 25,813 · city coordinates 38.1454, -85.8583
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. CVG KCVG
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport · Cincinnati / Covington
135 km from SDF · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 896 ft (273 m) · airport coordinates 39.0488, -84.6678
2. IND KIND
Indianapolis International Airport · Indianapolis
179 km from SDF · America/Indiana/Indianapolis · +0h · elevation 797 ft (243 m) · airport coordinates 39.7173, -86.2944
3. BNA KBNA
Nashville International Airport · Nashville
242 km from SDF · America/Chicago · -1h · elevation 599 ft (183 m) · airport coordinates 36.1245, -86.6782
Route-time reference set
1. SDF-CVG
Cincinnati / Covington · 135 km · 1h 0m
America/New_York · +0h from SDF; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. SDF-IND
Indianapolis · 179 km · 1h 4m
America/Indiana/Indianapolis · +0h from SDF; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. SDF-BNA
Nashville · 242 km · 1h 8m
America/Chicago · -1h from SDF; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
3 runways
Longest runway 11,887 ft / 3,623 m. 3 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
concrete (3)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for SDF.
Runway identifiers
11/29 · 17L/35R · 17R/35L
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. CVG KCVG
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport · Cincinnati / Covington · 135 km from SDF
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 896 ft (273 m) · 39.0488, -84.6678
2. IND KIND
Indianapolis International Airport · Indianapolis · 179 km from SDF
large airport · America/Indiana/Indianapolis · united-states · 797 ft (243 m) · 39.7173, -86.2944
3. BNA KBNA
Nashville International Airport · Nashville · 242 km from SDF
large airport · America/Chicago · united-states · 599 ft (183 m) · 36.1245, -86.6782
4. TYS KTYS
McGhee Tyson Airport · Knoxville/Maryville · 305 km from SDF
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 981 ft (299 m) · 35.8110, -83.9940
5. CMH KCMH
John Glenn Columbus International Airport · Columbus · 319 km from SDF
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 815 ft (248 m) · 39.9980, -82.8919
6. STL KSTL
St. Louis Lambert International Airport · St Louis · 409 km from SDF
large airport · America/Chicago · united-states · 618 ft (188 m) · 38.7487, -90.3700
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
The airport covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) and has three runways.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for SDF.
Source note 2
Despite being called an international airport, it has no regularly scheduled international passenger flights, but is a port of entry, handling many UPS Airlines international cargo flights through the United Parcel Service's worldwide air hub, often referred to as UPS Worldport.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for SDF.
Country and authority
SDF sits in United States (United States of America), whose capital is Washington, D.C.. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English. Currency context: USD ($). SDF is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
SDF is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with Louisville International, Standiford Field. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport serving Louisville, Kentucky, United States. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q1199087 · Louisville International Airport. Owner / owning body: Louisville Regional Airport Authority. Administrative area: Kentucky · Louisville · Jefferson County. Named after: Muhammad Ali · Louisville
Field and clock profile
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a low-elevation field at 501 ft (153 m), positioned at 38.1706° N, 85.7351° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 3 runways and a longest runway of 11,887 ft / 3,623 m. The airport clock uses America/Kentucky/Louisville (EST, UTC-05:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Okolona is the closest retained city-time anchor at 5.3 km. CVG Cincinnati / Covington is the closest retained airport alternative at 135 km.
Country airport peers
SDF is compared with CVG Cincinnati / Covington at 135 km, IND Indianapolis at 179 km, BNA Nashville at 242 km, TYS Knoxville/Maryville at 305 km, CMH Columbus at 319 km inside the retained United States airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
SDF-CVG Cincinnati / Covington: 135 km, about 1h 0m, +0h. SDF-IND Indianapolis: 179 km, about 1h 4m, +0h. SDF-BNA Nashville: 242 km, about 1h 8m, -1h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident KSDF backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. flylouisville.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
3 runways · longest 11,887 ft / 3,623 m
Runway identifiers
11/29, 17L/35R, 17R/35L
OurAirports classifies SDF as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Louisville.
SDF (KSDF) is a low-elevation field at 501 ft (153 m) in the mid-latitudes, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
SDF sits in a broader regional network with 3 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
SDF's runway record lists 3 runways, with the longest runway at 11,887 ft / 3,623 m and source surfaces recorded as concrete (3).
Louisville Regional Airport Authority is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for SDF.
- The airport covers 1,500 acres (610 ha) and has three runways.
- Despite being called an international airport, it has no regularly scheduled international passenger flights, but is a port of entry, handling many UPS Airlines international cargo flights through the United Parcel Service's worldwide air hub, often referred to as UPS Worldport.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at flylouisville.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for SDF
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
SDF uses America/Kentucky/Louisville (EST, UTC-05:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is about 9.5 km from central Louisville; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
CVG Cincinnati / Covington is the closest retained alternate at 135 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
flylouisville.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place SDF inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
SDF ranks #80 in the curated United States airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 94 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
SDF has no other retained airport in the same IANA zone cohort, making America/Kentucky/Louisville a more distinctive signal for this page.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
SDF is 501 ft (153 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include ORK 502 ft (153 m) (1 ft delta) · TLS 499 ft (152 m) (2 ft delta) · SXB 505 ft (154 m) (4 ft delta) · GOT 506 ft (154 m) (5 ft delta) · BUD 495 ft (151 m) (6 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
SDF's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are CVG 135 km +0h · IND 179 km +0h · BNA 242 km -1h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati / Covington | CVG | 135 km | 1h 0m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Indianapolis | IND | 179 km | 1h 4m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Nashville | BNA | 242 km | 1h 8m | -1h | --:--:-- |
SDF to CVG
Cincinnati / Covington
Distance 135 km; estimated travel window 1h 0m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from SDF. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
SDF to IND
Indianapolis
Distance 179 km; estimated travel window 1h 4m; destination zone America/Indiana/Indianapolis is +0h from SDF. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
SDF to BNA
Nashville
Distance 242 km; estimated travel window 1h 8m; destination zone America/Chicago is -1h from SDF. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
Central Louisville is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Louisville is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport has 3 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from SDF, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Okolona
okolona · 5.3 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Newburg
newburg · 6.7 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Shively
shively · 8.3 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Louisville
louisville · 9.5 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Highview
highview · 10 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Pleasure Ridge Park
pleasure-ridge-park · 11 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Saint Matthews
saint-matthews · 11 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Jeffersonville
jeffersonville · 12 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Fern Creek
fern-creek · 13 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Valley Station
valley-station · 14 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Clarksville
clarksville · 14 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
New Albany
new-albany · 15 km · America/Kentucky/Louisville
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport does not have a long carrier list in the current source trail, so this page emphasizes the durable pieces travelers can safely use here: local time, field identifiers, nearby airports, and timezone differences.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Cincinnati / Covington (CVG), Indianapolis (IND), Nashville (BNA). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 3 runways; longest runway 11,887 ft / 3,623 m; identifiers 11/29, 17L/35R, 17R/35L.
- Runway surfaces: concrete (3); 3 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: Louisville Regional Airport Authority.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1941.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from SDF. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International AirportCVG
Cincinnati / Covington · large airport
- Distance
- 135 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 896 ft (273 m)
Compare against CVG when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Indianapolis International AirportIND
Indianapolis · large airport
- Distance
- 179 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 797 ft (243 m)
Compare against IND when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Nashville International AirportBNA
Nashville · large airport
- Distance
- 242 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- -1h
- Elevation
- 599 ft (183 m)
Compare against BNA when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is in the America/Kentucky/Louisville timezone (UTC-05:00, EST).
What are the codes for Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport uses IATA code SDF and ICAO code KSDF.
Where is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport located?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is located in Louisville, United States at coordinates 38.1706° N, 85.7351° W, with an elevation of 501 ft (153 m) (low-elevation field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport from central Louisville?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport sits roughly 9.5 km from the nearest mapped city center for Louisville.
Which route reference is most useful from SDF?▾
Cincinnati / Covington (CVG) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 0m, destination timezone America/New_York, and a +0h difference from SDF.
Which authority regulates SDF?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport sits inside United States, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What other airports in United States are close peers to SDF?▾
SDF's curated peers in United States on this site include CVG Cincinnati / Covington, IND Indianapolis, BNA Nashville, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport have?▾
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 3 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 11,887 ft / 3,623 m; identifiers include 11/29, 17L/35R, 17R/35L.