Regulations and Government
In Wake of GA Ban Exemption, FAA Defines ‘Based Aircraft’
Based aircraft counts are also a factor in grant determination
private jets on ramp
The FAA has defined criteria for determining based aircraft. © Curt Epstein/AIN

The FAA moved quickly to define “based aircraft” after exempting them in its order temporarily banning general aviation and nonscheduled commercial operations at 12 U.S. airports due to controller staffing issues. Based aircraft counts are also one of the data points used by the FAA to determine eligibility for inclusion in the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS), which is a requirement to receive federal funds.

In a letter issued Tuesday, the FAA listed four criteria that must be met to be considered based: the aircraft is based at a specific airport with an agreement for storage, spends more than six months a year at a specific airport, must be operational and capable of performing takeoffs and landings, and has a current FAA airworthiness certificate.

Loading…