Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS)

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies airports according to the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The NPIAS categorizes individual airports into four categories including primary airport, commercial service airport, general aviation airport, and reliever airport. (Young & Wells, 2011) We will discuss each category and a few examples from the Phoenix area.
Primary airports are categorized as public use airports enplaning at least 10,000 passengers annually. These airports are usually divided into hubs depending on number of enplanements. Large hubs account for at least 1% of total enplanements in the United States.
Medium hubs account for at least .25% but less than 1% of total enplanements. Small hubs will serve greater than .05% but less than .25% of total. (Young & Wells, 2011)
Commercial service airports accommodate scheduled air carrier service. They operate under very specific regulation administered by the FAA, TSA, and local and state governments. Their primary goal is …show more content…

General aviation airports also include those airports used by private business not providing commercial air carrier passenger service. If an airport has at least 10 aircraft on the filed and is located at least 20 miles from the nearest NPIAS airport, it is usually included as a general aviation airport in NPIAS. (Young & Wells, 2011)
Reliever airports are a specific category of general aviation airport usually located within 50 miles of a primary airport. They are designed to provide relief to congested major airports. To qualify as a reliever, they must have at least 100 aircraft based on the field or handle at least 25,000 itinerant operations. Reliever airports are intended to encourage general aviation to use them instead of the commercial services airport. (Young & Wells,

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