Definition
An airport classification under FAA Part 139 that serves only unscheduled passenger operations of large air carrier aircraft (those with more than 30 seats). Class IV airports are not authorized to serve scheduled large air carrier flights or scheduled small air carrier flights with 31 to 9 seats.
Plain English
A type of certified airport that handles only unscheduled flights by large airline-type aircraft. It does not serve regular scheduled airline service.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA airport certification discussions, airport compliance material, and operations planning for air carrier or charter flights.
Derivation
Class comes from a Latin word meaning a group or category. IV is the Roman numeral for four. Together, Class IV means the fourth category in the FAA airport certification system.
Why Pilots Care
Determines allowable aircraft types, runway lengths, and available services at that facility.
Intuition Check
Do not read Class IV airport as a measure of airport size, runway quality, or airspace type. Here, Class IV means a specific FAA certification category based on the kind of passenger air carrier operations the airport may serve.
Example Sentence 1
The field was certified as a Class IV airport, so it could accept the occasional charter flight by a large jet but no scheduled airline service.
Example Sentence 2
Airport management upgraded lighting to meet Class IV standards for heavier traffic.