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