What general aviation airports do

These fields — designated as general aviation (GA) or reliever airports by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — offer alternatives to congested commercial aviation hubs and provide crucial access for numerous non-scheduled flights.

Airport Types and What They Do

General aviation airports are defined by the FAA as public airports in a state that do not have scheduled service or with scheduled passenger service of fewer than 2,500 boardings per year.

Providing essential community services, general aviation airports typically support a wide range of aviation needs, including business and personal flying, flight instruction, air ambulance and medevac operations, on-demand air taxi and charter flights. Agricultural spraying and forest fire monitoring are also common uses.

Why Relievers Matter

Designated "reliever airports" serve an additional function: reducing congestion and improving access to the aviation system. As the FAA explains, these airports are designated to relieve congestion at nearby commercial airports and provide improved general aviation access to the surrounding community.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) explains that the reliever airport set-aside program dates back to Congress's 1982 action to reduce pressure at bustling commercial airports. The GAO report says FAA had designated 329 reliever airports since 1982 and linked 246 of them to specific commercial airports.

How They Are Funded

Federal funding supports general aviation and reliever airports through the Airport Improvement Program, or AIP. A Congressional Research Service report says general aviation, reliever, and non-primary commercial service airports are apportioned 20% of Airport Improvement Program funds subject to apportionment.

Eligible reliever airports can receive up to $200,000 in discretionary Airport Improvement Program grants per year. The same CRS report says airports in that share receive the lesser of $150,000 or one-fifth of the estimated five-year development costs listed in the most recent NPIAS, except for nonreliever primary airports.

Why a mid-Size Town Has One

Even if a mid-sized city does not have a major airline hub, most have an airport in their back yard. That airport may be a reliever, supporting a nearby larger airport and providing an alternative to congestion, or it may be listed simply as a general aviation airport in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.

What is certain is that these public airports support a wide range of aviation needs in the community. The Congressional Research Service describes the types of general aviation supported by these airports, including: Business aviation, personal flying and flight instruction, emergency and medevac On-demand air taxi and charter services Agricultural spraying and other aerial applications Forest fire monitoring