Definition
An airport that has been approved by the appropriate civil aviation authority for limited or temporary use, pending the completion of construction, inspection, certification, or other requirements before it can be granted full operational status.
Plain English
An airport that is allowed to operate on a temporary basis while it finishes meeting the full requirements to become a permanent, fully approved airport.
Context Anchor
Seen in airline operating rules, route planning, and situations where a community’s normal airport is closed or unusable.
Derivation
From the Latin 'provisio,' meaning 'a foreseeing' or 'preparation in advance.' In modern usage, 'provisional' means 'arranged for the present, with the expectation of being changed or replaced later.' Applied to an airport, it signals that the approval is in place for now, but is not yet final.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must verify any operating restrictions before using a provisional airport to maintain safety and regulatory compliance during diversions or planned stops.
Intuition Check
Do not read “provisional” as meaning informal or unsafe. Here it means temporarily approved for a specific use when the normal airport is unavailable.
Example Sentence 1
The new field was operating as a provisional airport while the final inspection of its runway lighting was completed.
Example Sentence 2
Due to ongoing construction the airport remained provisional until inspectors completed the final certification review.