Aviation operations include total takeoffs and landings (of all types) at Florida's public-use airports. The number of aviation operations is obtained monthly from Virtower’s Airport Operations Tracking System, where available, and supplemented by proxies from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Activity System (ATADS). In the absence of Virtower data, ATADS proxies are used to estimate the activities. For consistency, the ATADS totals are adjusted by applying a statewide calibration factor derived from airports with complete Virtower data for the same year/period.

• Aviation Operations: Total takeoffs and landings (of all types) at Florida's public-use airports.
• General Aviation (GA): All civil aviation operations in the U.S. that are not conducted by commercial airlines or the military, including recreational, business, instructional, and specialized aerial activities.
• Design Envelope: Defines the level of infrastructure that an airport is physically built to support.
  • Anchor
  • Built to support the largest and most demanding aircraft in the system, requiring the highest runway widths, separation standards, pavement strength, and full airfield systems to safely accommodate high-speed, high-weight operations.
  • Commercial
    • Built to support transport-category aircraft and scheduled passenger service, with runway geometry, separation distances, and airfield systems designed for consistent, reliable operations at scale.
  • Advanced GA
    • Built to support high-performance general aviation aircraft, including business jets, with runway length, pavement strength, and separation standards sufficient for higher speeds, larger wingspans, and more demanding operational profiles.
• Mixed-Use GA
  • Built to support a wide range of general aviation activity, balancing runway length, taxiway geometry, and separation standards to accommodate both training operations and transient aircraft within a shared infrastructure environment.
• Community GA
  • Built to support local and regional aviation activity with moderate runway dimensions, limited separation requirements, and infrastructure scaled to consistent but less complex operations.
• Foundational GA
  • Built to provide basic aviation access for smaller aircraft, with minimal runway length, reduced geometric requirements, and limited supporting infrastructure.
• Specialty Use
  • Built to support specific aviation missions or unique operating environments, where runway geometry, pavement strength, and airfield layout are tailored to mission requirements rather than generalized system demand.
• Reporting Periods:
  • Yearly: All days in a calendar year.