232 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.615 

§ 121.615 Dispatch or flight release 

over water: Flag and supplemental 

operations. 

(a) No person may dispatch or release 

an aircraft for a flight that involves ex-
tended overwater operation unless ap-
propriate weather reports or forecasts 
or any combination thereof, indicate 
that the weather conditions will be at 
or above the authorized minimums at 
the estimated time of arrival at any 
airport to which dispatched or released 
or to any required alternate airport. 

(b) Each certificate holder con-

ducting a flag or supplemental oper-
ation or a domestic operation within 
the State of Alaska shall conduct ex-
tended overwater operations under IFR 
unless it shows that operating under 
IFR is not necessary for safety. 

(c) Each certificate holder con-

ducting a flag or supplemental oper-
ation or a domestic operation within 
the State of Alaska shall conduct other 
overwater operations under IFR if the 
Administrator determines that oper-
ation under IFR is necessary for safety. 

(d) Each authorization to conduct ex-

tended overwater operations under 
VFR and each requirement to conduct 
other overwater operations under IFR 
will be specified in the certificate hold-
er’s operations specifications. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–33, 32 FR 13912, Oct. 6, 
1967; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.617 Alternate airport for depar-

ture. 

(a) If the weather conditions at the 

airport of takeoff are below the landing 
minimums in the certificate holder’s 
operations specifications for that air-
port, no person may dispatch or release 
an aircraft from that airport unless the 
dispatch or flight release specifies an 
alternate airport located within the 
following distances from the airport of 
takeoff: 

(1) 

Aircraft having two engines. 

Not 

more than one hour from the departure 
airport at normal cruising speed in 
still air with one engine inoperative. 

(2) 

Aircraft having three or more en-

gines. 

Not more than two hours from 

the departure airport at normal cruis-
ing speed in still air with one engine 
inoperative. 

(b) For the purpose of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the alternate airport 
weather conditions must meet the re-
quirements of the certificate holder’s 
operations specifications. 

(c) No person may dispatch or release 

an aircraft from an airport unless he 
lists each required alternate airport in 
the dispatch or flight release. 

§ 121.619 Alternate airport for destina-

tion: IFR or over-the-top: Domestic 

operations. 

(a) No person may dispatch an air-

plane under IFR or over-the-top unless 
he lists at least one alternate airport 
for each destination airport in the dis-
patch release. When the weather condi-
tions forecast for the destination and 
first alternate airport are marginal at 
least one additional alternate must be 
designated. However, no alternate air-
port is required if for at least 1 hour 
before and 1 hour after the estimated 
time of arrival at the destination air-
port the appropriate weather reports or 
forecasts, or any combination of them, 
indicate— 

(1) The ceiling will be at least 2,000 

feet above the airport elevation; and 

(2) Visibility will be at least 3 miles. 
(b) For the purposes of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the weather conditions 
at the alternate airport must meet the 
requirements of § 121.625. 

(c) No person may dispatch a flight 

unless he lists each required alternate 
airport in the dispatch release. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–159, 45 FR 41594, June 
19, 1980] 

§ 121.621 Alternate airport for destina-

tion: Flag operations. 

(a) No person may dispatch an air-

plane under IFR or over-the-top unless 
he lists at least one alternate airport 
for each destination airport in the dis-
patch release, unless— 

(1) The flight is scheduled for not 

more than 6 hours and, for at least 1 
hour before and 1 hour after the esti-
mated time of arrival at the destina-
tion airport, the appropriate weather 
reports or forecasts, or any combina-
tion of them, indicate the ceiling will 
be: 

(i) At least 1,500 feet above the lowest 

circling MDA, if a circling approach is 

233 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.625 

required and authorized for that air-
port; or 

(ii) At least 1,500 feet above the low-

est published instrument approach 
minimum or 2,000 feet above the air-
port elevation, whichever is greater; 
and 

(iii) The visibility at that airport will 

be at least 3 miles, or 2 miles more 
than the lowest applicable visibility 
minimums, whichever is greater, for 
the instrument approach procedures to 
be used at the destination airport; or 

(2) The flight is over a route approved 

without an available alternate airport 
for a particular destination airport and 
the airplane has enough fuel to meet 
the requirements of § 121.641(b) or 
§ 121.645(c). 

(b) For the purposes of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the weather conditions 
at the alternate airport must meet the 
requirements of the certificate holder’s 
operations specifications. 

(c) No person may dispatch a flight 

unless he lists each required alternate 
airport in the dispatch release. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–159, 45 FR 41594, June 
19, 1980; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 26, 
1996] 

§ 121.623 Alternate airport for destina-

tion: IFR or over-the-top: Supple-
mental operations. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, each person releas-
ing an aircraft for operation under IFR 
or over-the-top shall list at least one 
alternate airport for each destination 
airport in the flight release. 

(b) An alternate airport need not be 

designated for IFR or over-the-top op-
erations where the aircraft carries 
enough fuel to meet the requirements 
of §§ 121.643 and 121.645 for flights out-
side the 48 contiguous States and the 
District of Columbia over routes with-
out an available alternate airport for a 
particular airport of destination. 

(c) For the purposes of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the weather require-
ments at the alternate airport must 
meet the requirements of the certifi-
cate holder’s operations specifications. 

(d) No person may release a flight un-

less he lists each required alternate 
airport in the flight release. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.624 ETOPS Alternate Airports. 

(a) No person may dispatch or release 

an airplane for an ETOPS flight unless 
enough ETOPS Alternate Airports are 
listed in the dispatch or flight release 
such that the airplane remains within 
the authorized ETOPS maximum diver-
sion time. In selecting these ETOPS 
Alternate Airports, the certificate 
holder must consider all adequate air-
ports within the authorized ETOPS di-
version time for the flight that meet 
the standards of this part. 

(b) No person may list an airport as 

an ETOPS Alternate Airport in a dis-
patch or flight release unless, when it 
might be used (from the earliest to the 
latest possible landing time)— 

(1) The appropriate weather reports 

or forecasts, or any combination there-
of, indicate that the weather condi-
tions will be at or above the ETOPS Al-
ternate Airport minima specified in 
the certificate holder’s operations 
specifications; and 

(2) The field condition reports indi-

cate that a safe landing can be made. 

(c) Once a flight is en route, the 

weather conditions at each ETOPS Al-
ternate Airport must meet the require-
ments of § 121.631 (c). 

(d) No person may list an airport as 

an ETOPS Alternate Airport in the dis-
patch or flight release unless that air-
port meets the public protection re-
quirements of § 121.97(b)(1)(ii). 

[Doc. No. FAA–2002–6717, 72 FR 1881, Jan. 16, 
2007] 

§ 121.625 Alternate Airport weather 

minima. 

Except as provided in § 121.624 for 

ETOPS Alternate Airports, no person 
may list an airport as an alternate in 
the dispatch or flight release unless the 
appropriate weather reports or fore-
casts, or any combination thereof, indi-
cate that the weather conditions will 
be at or above the alternate weather 
minima specified in the certificate