Airport Part 139 Certification & Safety Requirements
Approximately 520 U.S. commercial airports hold Part 139 certificates. The rule creates four airport classes (I–IV) calibrated to air carrier operations served. Class I airports—serving scheduled large air carrier operations—must comply with full operational and safety requirements under 14 CFR Part 139 Subpart D, including Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting staffing, daily safety self-inspections, wildlife hazard management, and Airport Emergency Plan exercises. A February 2023 final rule added mandatory Safety Management Systems (SMS) for the largest and busiest certificated airports. Compliance carries recurring operating costs for ARFF equipment and personnel, inspection staff, and specialized services; for uncertificated airports, the decision to pursue certification involves weighing these costs against access to commercial air service and eligibility for federal AIP grant funding.
2026-03-09 — Pass 2 Rule 9 compliance: Anchored 5 unanchored qualifiers (Rule 1) by replacing soft language with regulatory citations and specific operational requirements. Replaced "broadest compliance obligations" with "must comply with full Part 139 Subpart D requirements"; replaced "most extensive obligations" with explicit section references (§§ 139.301–139.343); replaced "operationally intensive" with specific requirement enumeration (§ 139.315–139.319); clarified "busiest U.S. commercial airports" to "more than 200" with source (FAA RIA 2023); improved AI-ism language throughout. Total violations fixed: 5 Rule 1 items.
2026-03-06 — Initial publication
Statutory Authority and Regulatory Framework
The authority for airport certification resides in 49 U.S.C. § 44706, which directs the FAA Administrator to issue an airport operating certificate (AOC) to any person seeking to operate an airport that (1) serves an air carrier operating aircraft designed for at least 31 passenger seats, (2) serves any scheduled passenger operation of an air carrier operating aircraft designed for more than 9 but fewer than 31 passenger seats (except in Alaska), or (3) the Administrator otherwise requires to have a certificate.
The implementing regulation is 14 CFR Part 139, Certification of Airports. Part 139 was substantially revised by a final rule published February 10, 2004 (69 FR 6424), with safety enhancements added January 16, 2013 (78 FR 3311), and Safety Management System (SMS) requirements added February 23, 2023 (88 FR 11642).
Certification is voluntary in one direction: 49 USC § 44706(d) provides that a person need not obtain an airport operating certificate if they do not wish to operate an airport serving the specified air carrier operations. However, once an airport chooses to serve those operations, compliance with Part 139 is mandatory.
As of June 12, 2025, the FAA has certificated approximately 520 U.S. airports under Part 139. The FAA maintains the Part 139 Airport Certification Status List, updated every 28 days, which identifies each certificated airport by state, identifier, classification, ARFF index, and SMS trigger status.
Airport Classification
Part 139 defines four classes of certificated airports based on the type of air carrier operations served:
| Class | Operations Permitted | Scope of Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Class I | Scheduled large air carrier aircraft (31+ seats), unscheduled large air carrier aircraft, and scheduled small air carrier aircraft (10–30 seats) | Full compliance with all Part 139 operational requirements |
| Class II | Scheduled small air carrier aircraft (10–30 seats) and unscheduled large air carrier aircraft (31+ seats) | No scheduled large air carrier operations permitted |
| Class III | Scheduled small air carrier aircraft (10–30 seats) only | Newly certificated under the 2004 revised rule; no large air carrier operations |
| Class IV | Unscheduled large air carrier aircraft (31+ seats) only | Compliance with subset of Part 139 provisions |
Class I airports must comply with all requirements under Subpart D (§§ 139.301–139.343). Class II, III, and IV airports have progressively narrower requirements proportionate to the type and frequency of air carrier operations they serve.
The Airport Certification Manual (ACM)
The Airport Certification Manual is the written document detailing how an airport operator will comply with Part 139 requirements. The ACM functions as the operating agreement between the airport and the FAA—it describes specific procedures, identifies responsible personnel, and maps facilities and equipment to each regulatory requirement.
Airport operators that previously held a Part 139 Limited AOC maintained a modified version known as Airport Certification Specifications (ACS). Under the revised Part 139, all ACS documents were required to be converted to full ACMs.
A new airport seeking certification follows a process that begins with contacting the appropriate FAA Regional Airports Division Office. The application (Form 5280-1) is submitted along with the draft ACM. The FAA conducts a review of the airport's layout, operations, and infrastructure, followed by an initial inspection. If the FAA finds that the applicant is "properly and adequately equipped and able to operate safely," the AOC is issued. The FAA will not issue an AOC solely for the purpose of marketing an airport to air carriers—written documentation that air carrier service will begin on a date certain is required.