Aircraft Disinsection at Palo Alto Airport (PAO)
Palo Alto Airport sits on the baylands at the edge of Silicon Valley’s most famous zip codes, a single-runway field where founders, professors, and engineers keep the pattern full. Operators flying out of PAO who stage an international trip from a nearby gateway can have the aircraft treated wherever it parks, before boarding.
If your next departure from PAO 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 Palo Alto within 24 to 36 hours of confirmation; booked departures are guaranteed for the date.
About Palo Alto Airport
The 2,441-ft runway keeps Palo Alto a light-aircraft field, but the money and mileage behind its hangars are anything but light. Stanford, the venture firms of Sand Hill Road, and the headquarters of much of the tech industry sit within a short drive. When those owners and flight departments plan international legs, the jets typically stage from San Jose, San Francisco, or Oakland, and we meet them there. The paperwork and the treatment are handled before the cabin fills.
Where the requirement comes from
PAO is where the requirement is satisfied for a non-stop flight, because pre-embarkation treatment belongs at the last port before the destination country. The arriving authority requires the aircraft to have been disinsected; treating it empty here, before boarding, meets that requirement for the countries that accept the method.
From PAO 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 Palo Alto stop in Hawaii, which then becomes the last US port and the place for pre-embarkation treatment; non-stop departures are treated here at PAO. New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile appear on the list as well.
How it works on the PAO ramp
We treat the aircraft where it is parked at PAO, whether that is a hangar or the FBO ramp, and we build the timing backward from your boarding. Empty cabin, WHO method through cabin, flight deck and holds, rest and ventilation, release. Your crew receives the certificate before the door closes and your passengers never see the process.
PAO at a glance
| Airport | Palo Alto Airport |
|---|---|
| IATA | PAO |
| ICAO | KPAO |
| Location | Palo Alto, 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 PAO: 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 Palo Alto 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.
PAO disinsection questions, answered
Do you perform disinsection at Palo Alto Airport?
Yes. PAO is one of the US departure airports we come to. The treatment happens at your aircraft, in the hangar or on the FBO ramp, timed to your boarding, and the certificate is issued on the spot.
Which destinations from PAO require disinsection?
From PAO and the rest of the West Coast, the routes that most often trigger a requirement include Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Chile. Others do too. Send us the route and we will confirm what applies.
How much notice do you need for a departure from PAO?
We can often accommodate short-notice requests at PAO. Send us the destination and date as soon as the trip is likely and we will plan the treatment at Palo Alto around your boarding.
Our trip out of PAO 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 PAO 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 Palo Alto?
Yes. In the West Coast we also come to Ontario International Airport (ONT), San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP), Hayward Executive Airport (HWD), San Carlos Airport (SQL), Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK), and to any other US airport your aircraft departs from.