Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Federal Aviation Administration

Who is FAA?

The Federal Aviation Administrator is the regulator of all the nation’s civil aviation activities, including management of air traffic in U.S. airspace.

What does FAA do?

Our continuing mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.

The FAA safely manages more than 50,000 U.S. commercial and general aviation flights daily.

Safety Programs

Regulations
The FAA issues and enforces regulations covering manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircraft. The FAA also certifies airmen and airports that serve air carriers.

Research and Development
The FAA conducts research on and develops systems and procedures needed for a safe and efficient system of air navigation and air traffic control. The FAA helps develop better aircraft, engines, and equipment and test or evaluate aviation systems, devices, materials, and procedures. The FAA also conducts aeromedical research.

Commercial Space Transportation
The FAA regulates and encourages the U.S. commercial space transportation industry.  The FAA licenses commercial space launch facilities and private launches of space payloads on expendable launch vehicles.

Safety Resources/Tools

FAA Office of Aviation Safety
Aviation Safety (AVS) is responsible for the certification, production approval, and continued airworthiness of aircraft; and certification of pilots, mechanics, and others in safety-related positions. They are also responsible for civil flight operations and developing regulations.

FAA Air Traffic Organization
The Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is the operational arm of the FAA responsible for providing safe and efficient air navigation services to 29.4 million square miles of airspace. This represents more than 17 percent of the world's airspace and includes all of the United States and large portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico.

FAA Airports Office
Airports (ARP) provides leadership in planning and developing a safe and efficient national airport system. The office has responsibility for all programs related to airport safety and inspections and standards for airport design, construction, and operation. Each year, the office awards $3.5 billion in airport grants and approves passenger facility charge collections totaling $2 billion. 

FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
Commercial Space Transportation (AST) ensures protection of the public, property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial launch or reentry activities, and encourages, facilitates, and promotes U.S. commercial space transportation.

FAA Data & Research
The FAA conducts research to ensure that commercial and general aviation is the safest in the world. On FAA.gov, you will find information about how the research is performed; the resulting data and statistics; and information on funding and grant data.