The
United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a system for categorizing public-use
airports (along with
heliports and other aviation bases) that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's
Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Less than 20% of airports in the U.S. qualify for the program, though most that don't qualify are private-use-only airports.