Definition
An FAA initiative aimed at increasing the capacity of the National Airspace System and individual airports through changes to procedures, technology, infrastructure, or airspace design, so more aircraft can be handled safely without unnecessary delays.
Plain English
A program the FAA runs to help airports and airspace handle more flights smoothly by improving how traffic is managed.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA publications, airport planning, air traffic flow discussions, and acronym or NOTAM-contraction lists when the topic is improving traffic-handling capacity.
Derivation
Capacity comes from the Latin capacitas meaning ‘ability to hold.’ Enhancement means ‘to make greater.’ Together the name describes a program designed to expand how much air traffic the system can handle.
Why Pilots Care
Reduces airborne and ground delays at capacity-constrained airports, improving schedule reliability and fuel efficiency.
Intuition Check
Do not read capacity here as passenger seats, fuel space, or cargo room. In this term, capacity means how much aircraft traffic a system can safely handle.
Example Sentence 1
The FAA launched a capacity enhancement program at the busy hub to reduce arrival delays during peak hours.
Example Sentence 2
Controllers noted fewer metering delays after Capacity Enhancement Program changes took effect at the hub.