Definition
An FAA airworthiness certification category for large or turbine-powered aircraft, typically airliners and large business jets, certified under the most stringent design, performance, and structural standards in 14 CFR Part 25. Aircraft in this category must meet rigorous requirements for redundancy, performance after engine failure, structural integrity, and passenger safety.
Plain English
A certification level used for big airplanes like airliners. To wear this label, the airplane has to be built and tested to the strictest safety rules the FAA has.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in FAA discussions of aircraft certification, aircraft limitations, and the FAA’s role in approving airplane designs.
Derivation
Transport' comes from the Latin trans- ('across') and portare ('to carry') -- to carry across. These are the airplanes designed to carry people and cargo across long distances, so the rules built around them are the toughest.
Why Pilots Care
Aircraft in this category must meet higher performance and safety requirements, directly affecting training, operating limitations, and legal use in airline or charter service.
Intuition Check
Transport category does not simply mean an airplane used for transportation. It means an airplane certified under a specific FAA category with specific design and safety standards.
Example Sentence 1
Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s are certified in the transport category and must meet Part 25 standards.
Example Sentence 2
Before flying a transport category jet, the pilot completed the required type rating and recurrent checks.