Aircraft Disinsection at Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ)
Moffett Federal Airfield is the South Bay’s most recognizable piece of aviation real estate, home to Hangar One, NASA Ames, and a runway long enough for anything in the corporate fleet. For authorized operators departing NUQ on routes that require disinsection, we perform the treatment on the ramp before boarding.
If your next departure from NUQ is to a country that requires disinsection, we come to your aircraft here, treat it empty before boarding to the WHO pre-embarkation method, and issue the certificate for the flight. Expect us at Mountain View within 24 to 36 hours of confirmation; booked departures are guaranteed for the date.
About Moffett Federal Airfield
Moffett’s 9,197-ft main runway dwarfs everything else on the peninsula, a legacy of Navy airships and decades of federal flying. Today NASA Ames anchors the research side while a private operator manages the airfield, and access is limited to based and authorized aircraft. The corporate fleets that do operate here include some of the longest-legged jets in the Valley. When one of them files for a destination with a disinsection requirement, the cabin is treated and certified on the ground at Moffett.
Where the requirement comes from
Whatever the destination, the mechanism is the same: the arriving country requires the aircraft to have been disinsected, and pre-embarkation treatment at the last port before that country, performed on the empty aircraft, is a method it accepts. For a non-stop flight out of NUQ, that last port is NUQ.
From NUQ the requirement is mostly a Pacific one: Australia and New Zealand require disinsection on every arriving international aircraft, and the Cook Islands and Solomon Islands require it too. Many itineraries from Mountain View stop in Hawaii, which then becomes the last US port and the place for pre-embarkation treatment; non-stop departures are treated here at NUQ. New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile appear on the list as well.
How it works on the NUQ ramp
On the day, the sequence at NUQ is simple: our crew is at your hangar or FBO ahead of time, the cabin is confirmed empty and prepared, the treatment is applied to the WHO method through cabin, flight deck and holds, and the aircraft rests, ventilates and is released for boarding after the required wait. Your crew receives the certificate and the details to enter on the General Declaration before the door closes.
NUQ at a glance
| Airport | Moffett Federal Airfield |
|---|---|
| IATA | NUQ |
| ICAO | KNUQ |
| Location | Mountain View, California |
| Region | West Coast |
| Typical disinsection destinations | Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile |
| Treatment | Pre-embarkation, empty aircraft, before boarding, at your FBO or hangar |
| Reviewed | August 2026 |
Destinations we serve from here
From NUQ: Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile, and the rest of the destinations we serve. Australia and New Zealand carry operator paperwork we help with; if either is on a Mountain View itinerary, start early.
Tell us your route and we will confirm exactly what your aircraft needs.
Destination, departure airport, dates. We confirm the requirement, come to the aircraft, and handle the certificate.
NUQ disinsection questions, answered
Do you come to NUQ?
Yes. We travel to your aircraft at Moffett Federal Airfield and treat it on the FBO ramp or in the hangar before boarding. We coordinate access and timing with the FBO and your crew.
Where do operators flying out of NUQ usually need disinsection?
Most often for Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile, which are typical destinations from Mountain View. Many other countries require it as well; send us the exact route and we will tell you what applies to your aircraft.
Can you get to NUQ on short notice?
Often, yes. We travel to Mountain View from our base and handle our own logistics; the earlier we hear about a likely trip the more precisely we can time the treatment, but short-notice requests are a normal part of the work.
Our trip out of NUQ has a technical stop before the destination. Does that change things?
Yes, because pre-embarkation belongs at the last port before the destination country. Send us the full routing from NUQ and we will confirm where the treatment should be performed and whether it can be done in the US.
Do you also serve other airports near Mountain View?
Yes. In the West Coast we also come to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ), Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), Napa County Airport (APC), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and to any other US airport your aircraft departs from.