Legal Interpretations
Lavenson 2008
Summary
The Question
For IFR flight, when a regulation requires an alternate airport, may the destination airport also be listed as the alternate?
Background
An individual reported that several pilots believe the destination airport may be listed as the alternate when weather requires one; the requester believed it was not legal. The inquiry cited no specific regulation.
The FAA’s Interpretation
No. To the extent a safety rule requires an operator to list a second airport as an alternate, the same airport may not be listed as both destination and alternate. Where the rules require preparing for possible flight to the alternate, such as having sufficient fuel and calculating that the aircraft can safely land on the type of runway available, listing the same airport would undermine the purpose of a safety backup airport.
- Requester
- Lavenson
- Issued
- May 21, 2008
- Subject
- General
Unreadable text from the scan (such as a barcode or stamp) is left out of the text below; the original letter shows it exactly.
Page 1
U.S. Deportment
of 1ronsportation
Federal Aviation
Administration
MAY 2 l 2008
Mr. Mark Lavenson
Dear Mr. Lavenson:
Office of the Chief Counsel 800 Independence Ave ., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20591
This response is in regard to your undated letter from earlier this year. Although you do not specify any particular regulation in your letter, you ask whether or not, for IFR flight, the destination airport may also serve as the alternate airport when weather conditions dictate that an alternate airport is required by regulation. You state that several pilots believe that is permissible to list -- as the alternate airport - the destination airport. You state that you believe that it is not legal to list the same airport as the destination and alternate airport. To the extent that an aviation safety rule requires an aircraft operator to list a second airport as an alternate airport, it is not permissible to list the same one airport as both the destination and alternate airports. If the safety rules require an operator to list and prepare for possible flight to the alternate airport (e.g., have sufficient fuel, make calculations that the aircraft can safely land on the type of runway available etc ... ), the whole purpose for having a safety backup airport would be undermined if the aircraft operator listed the same airport as the destination and alternate airport.
This interpretation has been reviewed by Flight Standards Service. Sia_ 4'"¥fi-
Snapshot retrieved August 6, 2026.