Class B is a class of airspace in the United States which follows International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) airspace designation. Class B airspace areas are designed to improve aviation safety by reducing the risk of midair collisions in the airspace surrounding airports with high-density air traffic operations.FAA Order JO 7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters, effective 2017-10-12 (with changes), accessed 2017-12-04 Aircraft operating in these airspace areas are subject to certain operating rules and equipment requirements.
Class B airspace protects the approach and departure paths from aircraft not under air traffic control. All aircraft inside Class B airspace are subject to air traffic control. Traffic operating under VFR must be identified on radar and explicitly cleared into the airspace before they can enter. The airspace is commonly depicted as resembling an "upside-down wedding cake". The innermost ring extends from the surface area around the airport to typically 10,000' MSL. Several outer rings usually surround it with progressively higher floors to allow traffic into nearby airports without entering the primary airport's Class B airspace.
The airspace around the busiest US airports is classified as ICAO Class B, and the primary airport (one or more) for which this airspace is designated is called Class B airport. As of January 2023, there are 37 Class B airports in the United States.Airspace Amendments to FAA Order JO 7400.11B, accessed 2017-12-04 Despite common misconception, Nellis Air Force Base and Dallas Love Field Airport are not designated as Class B airports; however, in both cases the Class B airspace for the primary airport in the region (Harry Reid International and Dallas/Fort Worth International, respectively) has been specifically extended to cover these airports as if they were themselves Class B.FAA order JO 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, effective 2017-09-15, accessed 2017-12-04
The following list of Class B airports is sorted by state and IATA Airport Code/ICAO Airport Code.
AirportCodeStateTotal Movements (2023) PHX / KPHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Arizona 454,655 LAX / KLAX Los Angeles International California 575,097 NKX / KNKX Marine Corps Air Station Miramar California SAN / KSAN San Diego International California 220,621 SFO / KSFO San Francisco International California 384,871 DEN / KDEN Denver International Colorado 299,702 MCO / KMCO Orlando International Florida 417,439 MIA / KMIA Miami International Florida 461,792 TPA / KTPA Tampa International Florida 229,804 ATL / KATL Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Georgia 775,818 HNL / PHNL Honolulu International Hawaii ORD / KORD Chicago–O'Hare International Illinois 720,582 CVG / KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Kentucky 166,000 MSY / KMSY Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Louisiana 126,138 ADW / KADW Andrews Air Force Base Maryland 51,042 BWI / KBWI Baltimore/Washington International Maryland 239,417 BOS / KBOS Boston–Logan International Massachusetts 400,178 DTW / KDTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Michigan MSP / KMSP Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Minnesota 323,945 MCI / KMCI Kansas City International Missouri 115,721 STL / KSTL Lambert–St. Louis International Missouri 163,129 LAS / KLAS Las Vegas-Harry Reid International Nevada 611,806 LSV / KLSV Nellis Air Force Base (lies within the class B surface area of LAS) Nevada EWR / KEWR Newark Liberty International New Jersey 435,675 JFK / KJFK New York–John F. Kennedy International New York 483,176 LGA / KLGA New York–La Guardia New York 363,787 CLT / KCLT Charlotte Douglas International North Carolina 531,740 CLE / KCLE Cleveland Hopkins International Ohio 108,788 PHL / KPHL Philadelphia International Pennsylvania 294,716 PIT / KPIT Pittsburgh International Pennsylvania 128,173 MEM / KMEM Memphis International Tennessee 213,348 DAL / KDAL Dallas Love Field (lies within the class B surface area of DFW) Texas 251,988 DFW / KDFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Texas 689,569 HOU / KHOU Houston–Hobby (class B secondary airport) Texas 197,934 IAH / KIAH Houston–George Bush Intercontinental Texas 422,003 SLC / KSLC Salt Lake City International Utah 318,998 DCA / KDCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Virginia 299,702 IAD / KIAD Washington Dulles International Virginia 284,866 SEA / KSEA Seattle–Tacoma International Washington 422,497
See also List of Class C airports in the United States List of Class D airports in the United States Terminal radar service area
References
External links FAA Aeronautical Navigation Products (AeroNav Products), formerly National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) FAA National Flight Center Data (NFDC) SkyVector – geo-referenced online collection of US aeronautical charts