Part 139 airport certification and UAS response
Certificated airports are required to include an approved UAS response plan in the Airport Certification Manual, covering interruption of airport operations and the safety of manned traffic.
- Status
- in force
- Authority
- Federal Aviation Administration, 14 CFR Part 139
- Applies to
- Airports holding an FAA operating certificate under Part 139, which covers airports serving scheduled passenger operations in aircraft with more than nine seats and certain unscheduled operations.
Key points
- The FAA requires airports certificated under Part 139 to include an approved UAS response plan in the Airport Certification Manual.
- The plan addresses interruption of airport operations and the safe operation of manned air traffic, rather than the acquisition of any detection or mitigation equipment.
- The Airport Certification Manual is the document against which an airport is inspected, so the response plan is a compliance artefact and not an internal procedure.
- The FAA has been directed, with DHS and DOJ, to develop a plan for counter-UAS operations at US airports and to deploy detection at large hub, medium hub and three cargo mega hub airports.
- Because the federal position on airport detection and mitigation continues to develop, a plan approved against an earlier position will need revision.
The requirement
Airports holding an FAA operating certificate under Part 139 are required to include an approved UAS response plan in the Airport Certification Manual. The plan concerns interruption of airport operations and the safe operation of manned air traffic.
The location of the requirement matters. The Airport Certification Manual is the document an airport is inspected against, so this is a compliance artefact rather than an internal procedure that can be kept informally.
What the plan is, and is not
The plan describes response. It does not require the airport to acquire detection or mitigation equipment, and an airport without either still needs a plan that works.
This is the distinction most often confused in vendor conversations. A detection system may improve how early a response begins, and it does not satisfy the requirement by itself. Equally, an airport with no equipment is not exempt.
Why it needs revisiting
The federal framework around airport counter-UAS has been moving. The FAA has been directed, in coordination with DHS and DOJ, to develop a plan for counter-UAS operations at US airports and to deploy detection systems at large hub, medium hub and three cargo mega hub airports.
A plan written against the position of two or three years ago describes a different environment. For airports within the scope of federal deployment, the plan will also need to account for equipment the airport does not own and may not control.
Equipment at an airport is its own question
Installing anything at an airport raises considerations that do not arise at an industrial site. Equipment near navigation aids or communications infrastructure is scrutinised, and the FAA has run its own testing of detection systems in the airport environment.
The practical sequence is to establish what is permitted and what has to be notified, then specify equipment, rather than the reverse. An airport that procures first can find itself holding a system it cannot install in the position where coverage would be useful.
FAQ
▸Does Part 139 require an airport to buy drone detection?
No. The requirement is a response plan describing how the airport responds when operations are interrupted or manned traffic is put at risk. An airport may or may not have detection equipment, and the plan has to work in either case.
▸Can an airport install detection equipment on its own initiative?
It is not a purchase to make first and clear afterwards. The FAA takes a specific interest in equipment at airports, particularly anything that might affect navigation or communications, and it has tested detection systems in the airport environment for that reason. The position for a specific system and site should be established before procurement.
▸How often should the plan be reviewed?
Whenever the federal framework moves materially, which it has done more than once since 2024. Treating the plan as a live document rather than a one-off submission is the practical approach, particularly for airports within the scope of the federal detection deployment.
▸What should the plan actually contain?
At minimum, how a sighting is reported and to whom, the decision path for suspending or resuming operations, notification to air traffic control and to the relevant federal agencies, coordination with local law enforcement, and how the event is recorded. The detail expected varies with the airport's size and operations.