Definition
Commercial operators certificated by the FAA to transport passengers or cargo by air for compensation or hire, typically operating under 14 CFR Part 121 (scheduled airlines and large operators) or Part 135 (commuter and on-demand operators).
Plain English
Companies that fly people or cargo for money under FAA approval, such as airlines and charter operators.
Context Anchor
Seen when the FAA discusses the aviation businesses it approves, inspects, and holds to public-transport safety rules.
Derivation
From 'carrier,' meaning one who carries or transports. The aviation use mirrors older transport terms like 'common carrier' from rail and shipping, where the carrier is the business that moves goods or people for hire.
Why Pilots Care
Air carriers operate under stricter rules than private flying, including more demanding training, medical, and experience requirements. Most professional pilot careers involve flying for an air carrier, so the certification path a pilot pursues often points toward this kind of operation.
Intuition Check
Air carriers does not mean any airplane that carries someone through the air. It means an air transportation business or organization operating under FAA authority.
Example Sentence 1
Many pilots build flight time as flight instructors before moving on to fly for a regional air carrier.
Example Sentence 2
When a pilot transitions from general aviation to an air carrier, they move under a completely different set of FAA operating rules.