Definition
The carriage of persons or property by aircraft for compensation or hire that takes place wholly within the boundaries of a single U.S. state, where the flight does not cross state lines or international borders and is not a continuation of, or connection to, interstate or foreign air transportation.
Plain English
Paid flying that begins and ends inside the same state, without crossing into another state or country.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation legal, operating-authority, and commercial-service discussions when deciding what kind of air transportation a flight is.
Derivation
From Latin 'intra' meaning 'within' or 'inside.' So 'intrastate' literally means 'within a state' — different from 'interstate,' which uses 'inter' meaning 'between.' That single-letter difference changes which rules and authorities apply to the flight.
Why Pilots Care
Determines which FAA operating rules and certifications apply to commercial flights that stay inside one state.
Intuition Check
Do not read “intrastate” as “inside the United States.” It means inside one state only. Also, “air transportation” here means a paid transportation service, not just any flight.
Example Sentence 1
A charter operator flying paying passengers between two cities in Texas without leaving the state is conducting intrastate air transportation.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots flying intrastate air transportation must still follow all applicable FAA safety and maintenance requirements.