Every type of airport is defined, by law, as a place intended for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. The law also stipulates the buildings and rights of way needed to safely and effectively run the airport. However, the way they operate depends on the type of airport.
Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, there are a wide variety of airports among the 3,300 airports that are open to the public and part of the FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).
Each airport category offers its own unique set of services and requires airport managers to take different approaches to management. Here are the different types of airports, as well as the facilities they use, the services they provide, and the overall capacity.
Commercial Service Airports
The FAA classifies Commercial Service Airports as publicly owned airports that have at least 2,500 passenger boardings each year and receive scheduled passenger service.
Ownership of the airport can vary. They may be owned by cities, counties, states or the federal government, or some combination of two government entities. In many cases, a new government agency is formed to directly manage the airport, typically under the term “airport authority” or something similar.
Municipal or county governments run more than half of all large and medium commercial airports in the country, according to Princeton University. Types of airports are broken into many subcategories, as follows.
Non-Primary Commercial Service Airports
These airports are non-hub airports that have at least 2,500 passenger boardings but no more than 10,000.
Primary Commercial Service Airports
These are the airports that have more than 10,000 passenger boardings each year.
There are 378 primary airports. Most people are familiar with the larger airports, such as John F. Kennedy International in New York City, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International, or Los Angeles International. However, primary airports also include airports in smaller cities and regional airports meant to provide flight availability to people in more rural regions.
Primary airports are broken down into four different subsets. They are qualified by the number of passenger boardings – more than 10,000 per year – and the percentage of annual passenger boardings nationwide.
- Non-hub primary: less than 0.05%
- Small hub: at least 0.05%, but less than 0.25%
- Medium hub: at least 0.25%, but less than 1%
- Large hub: 1% or more
Cargo Service Airports
To become designated as a cargo service airport, airports must have an annual landed total weight of more than 100 million pounds, according to the FAA.
The FAA defines landed weight as “the weight of aircraft transporting only cargo in intrastate, interstate, and foreign air transportation.” An airport can be both a commercial service and a cargo service airport.
Within the cargo service airport category, there are reliever airports. These airports are designated as cargo airports by the FAA to relieve traffic from larger airports and improve access to general aviation for the community. These airports can be owned by government agencies or private companies.
General Aviation Airports
According to the FAA, there are more than 19,000 airports, heliports, seaplane bases, and other landing facilities in the U.S. and its territories. The FAA has 3,330 within the NPIAS. Each is open to the public and eligible for federal funding.
Among these, 2,903 airports are what are known as general aviation airports. These airports are used for aeromedical flights, aerial firefighting, law enforcement, and disaster relief.
In a review of these airports, the FAA reported that they are also used for
- Remote population and island access
- Self-piloted business flights
- Flight instruction
- Personal flying
- Agricultural support
- Tourism and access to special events
General aviation airports are divided into four categories:
- National airports provide communities with access to national and international markets in multiple states and throughout the United States
- Regional airports support regional economies by connecting communities to statewide and interstate markets
- Local airports provide access to intrastate and interstate markets.
- Basic airports link communities to the national airport system and support general aviation activities
In addition to all the categories above, there are some major differences in the issues that airport managers face between overseeing large and small airports.
Large airports see much higher flight traffic volume, meaning a more complicated ground transportation system to support those flights and move people through the airport. Another issue they face is managing traffic at night, especially in large cargo service airports. Larger airports also can accommodate large aircraft.
Small airport managers will support more propeller-driven planes and much less overall traffic. Many small airports are also managed by Fixed Base Operators, which is a business that contracts with the airport to operate on its property and provide services such as maintenance and fuel to aircraft.
No matter the size or type of airport, airport management is a challenging and exciting career. It’s one that will face ever-evolving challenges as the air travel and cargo transportation industries continue to grow and evolve.
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Top Challenges in Aviation Today
As an aviation enthusiast with a deep understanding of the aviation industry, I can provide insights into the concepts discussed in the article about different types of airports and their operations.
The article outlines various types of airports based on their functions and services, as regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. Here's a breakdown of the key concepts covered:
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Commercial Service Airports:
- These are publicly owned airports with at least 2,500 passenger boardings annually.
- Ownership can vary, and they may be managed by city, county, state, federal government, or a combination.
- Categories include Primary and Non-Primary Commercial Service Airports.
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Primary Commercial Service Airports:
- These airports have more than 10,000 passenger boardings each year.
- Further categorized into non-hub primary, small hub, medium hub, and large hub based on the percentage of annual passenger boardings nationwide.
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Cargo Service Airports:
- Designated based on an annual landed total weight of over 100 million pounds.
- Landed weight refers to the weight of aircraft transporting only cargo.
- Reliever airports are designated to ease traffic from larger airports and enhance access to general aviation.
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General Aviation Airports:
- Over 19,000 airports, heliports, and seaplane bases in the U.S., with 2,903 classified as general aviation airports.
- Used for various purposes, including aeromedical flights, aerial firefighting, law enforcement, disaster relief, self-piloted business flights, flight instruction, personal flying, agricultural support, tourism, and access to special events.
- Categorized into national, regional, local, and basic airports.
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Challenges for Airport Managers:
- Large airports face higher flight traffic, complex ground transportation systems, and nighttime traffic management, especially in cargo service airports.
- Small airport managers deal with propeller-driven planes, lower overall traffic, and may be managed by Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) providing services like maintenance and fuel.
The article emphasizes that airport management is a challenging and dynamic career, addressing evolving challenges in the growing air travel and cargo transportation industries.
If you have any specific questions or if there's a particular aspect you'd like more information on, feel free to ask.
