The mission of the FAA is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. The role of the FAA Airports organization in meeting this goal is to provide leadership in planning and developing a safe and efficient national airport system to satisfy the needs of aviation interests of the United States.

The primary mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is to ensure the safety and efficiency of civil aviation within the United States and its surrounding international waters. As a branch of the Department of Transportation, the FAA's responsibilities include regulating commercial space transportation, managing the National Airspace System through Air Traffic Control, and certifying the airworthiness of aircraft and the competency of pilots. In 2026, the FAA is heavily focused on the "NextGen" initiative, which is modernizing the satellite-based navigation system to reduce delays and fuel consumption. The agency sets the safety standards that airlines must follow and conducts rigorous inspections to prevent accidents. While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates accidents after they happen, the FAA's purpose is preventative regulation—creating the rules and infrastructure that make flight one of the safest modes of transport. They also handle environmental initiatives, such as regulating aircraft noise and overseeing the industry's transition to sustainable aviation fuels.