Definition
The total number of passengers boarding aircraft at an airport over a given period, typically measured annually. Enplanements are used by the FAA to categorize airports and determine federal funding eligibility under the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).
Plain English
A count of how many people get on planes at an airport during a year. Each time a passenger boards, that counts as one enplanement.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport category discussions, airport planning, and FAA descriptions of how busy an airport is for passenger service.
Derivation
From 'en-' (meaning 'to put into' or 'onto') plus 'plane.' Literally 'the act of getting onto a plane.' The opposite term, 'deplanement,' refers to passengers getting off.
Why Pilots Care
Airport category based on enplanement volume determines available services, instrument approach procedures, and infrastructure support a pilot can expect.
Intuition Check
Do not read enplanements as total people using the airport. It counts passengers getting on aircraft there, not everyone in the terminal and not passengers who only get off there.
Example Sentence 1
An airport with at least 10,000 annual enplanements that offers scheduled passenger service is classified by the FAA as a primary commercial service airport.
Example Sentence 2
Low annual enplanements at a rural field limit the types of instrument approaches and fuel services available to arriving pilots.