# 2026-15758: FAA Wants Class C Airspace Upgrade at Wilmington Airport, NC

2026-15758, Establishment of Class C Airspace and Removal of Class D Airspace; Wilmington International Airport, NC, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration published 2026-08-04, effective Comments must be received on or before October 5, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15758
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-15758
- Title: Establishment of Class C Airspace and Removal of Class D Airspace; Wilmington International Airport, NC
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: Transportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 49372
- Published: 2026-08-04
- Effective: Comments must be received on or before October 5, 2026.
- Comments close: 2026-10-05
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 2120-AA66
- Last updated: 2026-08-11

## In one line

FAA Wants Class C Airspace Upgrade at Wilmington Airport, NC

## Summary

This action proposes to establish Class C airspace and remove Class D airspace at Wilmington International Airport (ILM), NC. The FAA is proposing this action to enhance the efficient management of air traffic operations and reduce the potential for midair collision in the Wilmington, NC, terminal area. The Class C airspace would replace the existing Class D airspace at ILM. In addition, the non-regulatory Terminal Radar Service Area (TRSA) would be removed.

## Effects PRIA read

- Class C Airspace Replaces Class D at ILM: benefit, medium. The FAA proposes to replace the existing Class D airspace and remove the Terminal Radar Service Area (TRSA) at Wilmington International Airport (ILM). The proposed Class C would extend from the surface to 4,100 feet mean sea level (MSL) within a 5 nautical mile (NM) radius of ILM, and from 1,300 fe…
- Radio and Equipment Requirements in Class C: cost, medium. Under Class C rules, pilots must establish and maintain two-way radio communications with air traffic control before entering Class C airspace. Also, no aircraft may operate in Class C airspace unless it is equipped with an operational transponder and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS…
- Pilots Ridge 1 NM Cutout Preserved: benefit, low. The proposed Class C design includes a 1 NM cutout from the outer shelf on the southern side of the ILM Class C surface area to accommodate Pilots Ridge Airport (03NC) operations outside or beneath the Class C airspace. The FAA adopted this modification so aircraft using Pilots Ridge can ingress an…
- FAA Seeks to Certify Minimal Small-Business Impact: benefit, low. The FAA proposes to certify under the Regulatory Flexibility Act that replacing Class D with Class C at ILM would not result in a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The FAA requests comments on this proposed certification.

## Related documents

- [2026-15585](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15585): Requirements for Interference-Tolerant Radio Altimeter Systems, 2026-07-31
- [2026-13440](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13440): Enabling Supersonic Overland Flight, 2026-07-02
- [2026-13126](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13126): Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility; Extension of Comment Period, 2026-06-30
- [2026-08943](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08943): Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility, 2026-05-06
- [2025-04846](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-04846): Extension of the Prohibition Against Certain Flights in the Territory and Airspace of Libya, 2025-03-20
- [2025-03853](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-03853): Enforcement Policy Regarding “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Located Outside of the United States; Corre…, 2025-03-11

## Sources
- [2026-15758 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/04/2026-15758/establishment-of-class-c-airspace-and-removal-of-class-d-airspace-wilmington-international-airport)
- [2026-15758 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-04/pdf/2026-15758.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-15743, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Child Restraint Anchorage Systems; Chil…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15743)
- [Next: 2026-15774, Regulatory Modernization and Relief for Mutual Holding Companies](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15774)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15758 (as of 2026-08-11).