What Is a 'Reliever' Field?

FAA assigns the designation for facilities able to relieve congestion at a commercial service airport.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 09:09 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

A reliever airport is a facility designated by the FAA to relieve congestion at a commercial service airport. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A reliever airport is primarily designated by the FAA to ease congestion at commercial service airports by providing increased access for general aviation (GA), not to serve as an overflow for airliners.
The term "reliever" does not imply that these airports are intended for regular use by airliners as an overflow from commercial hubs.
An airliner's ability to use a reliever airport depends entirely on the runway's physical characteristics, such as its length and weight-bearing capacity, as well as the airline's operational procedures.

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Question: When an airport is designated a “reliever” by the FAA, does that mean it can be used by airliners? I keep hearing this term applied by an anti-airport community group as if it means overflow parking when the airlines can’t get into the regular hub airports.

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Answer: Per 49 USC § 47102(23), a reliever airport is a facility designated by the FAAto relieve congestion at a commercial service airport (where the airlines are) by providing more GA access to the community.

A reliever can be towered or nontowered and will likely have an eclectic mix of corporate jets, light piston twins, and training aircraft.