FAA Renews Airport Safety Forms: Certification Continues
Published Date: 12/22/2025
Notice
Summary
The FAA wants to keep collecting info from airports that handle big passenger planes to make sure they stay safe and certified. If you run or work with these airports, this affects you! They’re asking for your thoughts by January 21, 2026, and there’s no new cost or big changes—just a renewal to keep things running smoothly.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Renewal of Part 139 Information Collection
The FAA is renewing its information collection under 14 CFR Part 139 that requires certificated airports to complete FAA Form 5280-1 and maintain an Airport Certification Manual (ACM). About 518 airports are respondents, the estimated average burden is 567 hours per response, and the estimated total annual burden is 293,693 hours; comments on the renewal are due January 21, 2026.
Safety Management System (SMS) Requirement
The renewed collection adds the required implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) at certain certificated airports. Airports must gather and maintain safety-related data such as incident reports, safety risks, corrective actions, and performance evaluations as part of SMS.
Mandatory UAS Response Plan in Emergency Plans
Part 139 requires all certificated airports to include a UAS (drone) Response Plan as a mandatory component of the Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) under § 139.325. The UAS Response Plan must outline detection, assessment, and response procedures, and coordination with law enforcement and the FAA.
Electronic Submission and FAA Tools Available
The FAA says operators may submit 100% of the required information electronically and that FAA tools like the Certification and Compliance Management Information System (CCMIS) and the Airport Crisis Response Reporting (ACRR) tool are used to enter and monitor inspection and operational status information.
Which Airports Are Covered by Part 139
Part 139 applies to airports serving scheduled passenger-carrying operations of air carriers operating aircraft configured for more than 9 passenger seats and to airports serving unscheduled passenger operations of aircraft configured for at least 31 passenger seats. The part does not apply to airports operated by the United States, certain Alaska airports that only serve small carriers or are not serving large carriers at a given time, heliports, or airports designated only as alternates.
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