10/25/2015 Airport Categories – Airports

Federal Aviation
Administration

Airport Categories
Airports

The only airports, or portions of airports, eligible for AIP funding are public use airportsincluded in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) (www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/) . An
airport is defined in the law as any area of land or water used or intended for landing or takeoff of aircraft
including appurtenant area used or intended for airport buildings, facilities, as well as rights of way together
with the buildings and facilities. Special types of facilities such as seaplane bases and heliports are included
in the airport categories listed below.

Thelaw categorizes airports by type of activities, including commercial service, primary, cargo service,
reliever, and general aviation airports, as shown below:

Categories of Airport Activities

Airport Classifications Hub Type: Percentage of Annual Common Name
Passenger Boardings

Commercial Primary: Large: Large Hub

Service: Have more than 1% or more
Publicly owned 10,000
Medium: Medium Hub
airports passenger
At least 0.25%,
that have at boardings
but less than 1%
least 2,500 each year
passenger §47102(16) Small: Small Hub
boardings At least 0.05%,
each calendar but less than 0.25%
year and Nonhub: Nonhub Primary
receive More than 10,000,
scheduled but less than 0.05%
passenger
service Nonprimary Nonhub: Nonprimary
§47102(7) At least 2,500 Commercial Service
and no more than than 10,000

Nonprimary Not Applicable

(Except Commercial Service) Reliever

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§(47102(23))

General Aviation
(47102(8))

See Definitions of Airport Categories below for more information.

Definition of Airport Categories

1. Commercial Service Airports are publicly owned airports that have at least 2,500 passenger
boardings each calendar year and receive scheduled passenger service. Passenger boardings refer to
revenue passenger boardings on an aircraft in service in air commerce whether or not in scheduled
service. The definition also includes passengers who continue on an aircraft in international flight that
stops at an airport in any of the 50 States for a non­traffic purpose, such as refueling or aircraft
maintenance rather than passenger activity. Passenger boardings at airports that receive scheduled
passenger service are also referred to as Enplanements.

a. Nonprimary Commercial Service Airports are Commercial Service Airports that have at least
2,500 and no more than 10,000 passenger boardings each year.

b. Primary Airports are Commercial Service Airports that have more than 10,000 passenger
boardings each year. Hub categories for Primary Airports are defined as a percentage of total
passenger boardings within the United States in the most current calendar year ending before the
start of the current fiscal year. For example, calendar year 2014 data are used for fiscal year 2016
since the fiscal year began 9 months after the end of that calendar year. The table above depicts
the formulae used for the definition of airport categories based on statutory provisions cited within
the table, including Hub Type described in 49 USC 47102.

2. Cargo Service Airports are airports that, in addition to any other air transportation services that may
be available, are served by aircraft providing air transportation of only cargo with a total annual landed
weight of more than 100 million pounds. "Landed weight" means the weight of aircraft transporting only
cargo in intrastate, interstate, and foreign air transportation. An airport may be both a commercial
service and a cargo service airport.

3. Reliever Airports are airports designated by the FAA to relieve congestion at Commercial Service
Airports and to provide improved general aviation access to the overall community. These may be
publicly or privately­owned.

4. General Aviation Airports are public­use airports that do not have scheduled service or have less
than 2,500 annual passenger boardings (49 USC 47102(8)). Approximately 88 percent of airports
included in the NPIAS are general aviation.

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In cooperation with the aviation community, FAA completed two top down reviews of the existing network of
general aviation facilities included in the NPIAS. The results of these efforts are contained in two reports
(General Aviation Airports: A Nation Asset (www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/ga_study/) ), which capture
the diverse functions and economic contributions GA airport make to their communities and the Nation.
Five new categories for airports serving general aviation (includes nonprimary commercial service,
relievers and general aviation) were developed based on existing activity levels. These roles are shown
below.

General Aviation Airport Categories

Role Description

National Supports the national and state system by providing communities with access to national
and international markets in multiple states and throughout the United States.

Regional Supports regional economies by connecting communities to statewide and interstate

markets.

Local Supplements communities by providing access to primarily intrastate and some interstate
markets.

Basic Links the community with the national airport system and supports general aviation
activities (e.g., emergency services, charter or critical passenger service, cargo
operations, flight training and personal flying).

Unclassified Provides access to the aviation system.

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Page last modified: October 20, 2015 11:34:50 AM EDT

This page was originally published at:

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