NAICS Subsector 481: Air Transportation
Subsector
Definition
Industries in the Air Transportation subsector provide air transportation of passengers and/or cargo using aircraft, such as airplanes, helicopters, and spacecraft. The subsector distinguishes scheduled from nonscheduled air transportation. Scheduled air carriers fly regular routes on regular schedules and operate even if flights are only partially loaded. Nonscheduled carriers often operate during nonpeak time slots at busy airports. These establishments have more flexibility with respect to choice of airport, hours of operation, load factors, and similar operational characteristics.
Read the full definition
Nonscheduled carriers provide chartered air transportation of passengers, cargo, or specialty flying services. Specialty flying services establishments use general purpose aircraft to provide a variety of specialized flying services. Scenic and sightseeing air transportation and air courier services are not included in this subsector but are included in Subsector 487, Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, and in Subsector 492, Couriers and Messengers, respectively. Although these activities may use aircraft, they are different from the activities included in air transportation.
Air sightseeing does not usually involve place-to-place transportation; the passenger's flight (e.g., balloon ride, aerial sightseeing) typically starts and ends at the same location. Courier services (individual package or cargo delivery) include more than air transportation; road transportation is usually required to deliver the cargo to the intended recipient.
Government contracts for this service: PSC V126 Space Transportation and Launch Services
Code facts
- Part of
-
- 48-49
- Codes under it
- 2
- Contract awards
- 3,613 In the last 12 months
- Contract obligations
- $6,274,017,672 In FY2025
NAICS codes and definitions come from the U.S. Census Bureau and contract spending from SAM.gov/FPDS.
Contract obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Obligated |
|---|---|
| FY2027 To date | $165,749,239 |
| FY2026 | $8,846,064,858 |
| FY2025 | $6,274,017,672 |
| FY2024 | $7,001,714,610 |
| FY2023 | $5,932,517,739 |
Top contractors by obligations
| Rank | Contractor | Obligated, FY2026–FY2027 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | $3,168,499,134 | |
| 2 | Atlas Air, Inc. | $609,778,906 | |
| 3 | Salus Worldwide Solutions Corp. | $562,324,411 | |
| 4 | United Launch Services, LLC | $486,366,101 | |
| 5 | Blue Origin, LLC | $422,042,479 | |
| 6 | Omni Air International, LLC | $302,287,920 | |
| 7 | Eastern Air Express LLC | $258,918,638 | |
| 8 | Kalitta Air LLC | $214,144,359 | |
| 9 | Firefly Aerospace Inc. | $173,711,067 | |
| 10 | Daedalus Aviation Corporation | $160,403,496 |
See the full FY2025 ranking of NAICS 481 contractors, by parent company.
Top funding agencies by obligations
| Rank | Agency | Obligated, FY2026–FY2027 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Force | $5,637,161,457 | |
| 2 | Department of Agriculture | $1,197,345,904 | |
| 3 | Department of Homeland Security | $989,818,965 | |
| 4 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $617,772,756 | |
| 5 | Department of the Interior | $166,663,696 | |
| 6 | Department of the Navy | $164,317,651 | |
| 7 | Office of the Secretary of Defense | $129,347,704 | |
| 8 | Department of the Army | $34,501,405 | |
| 9 | Department of Health and Human Services | $22,177,366 | |
| 10 | Department of Justice | $19,356,827 |
Top PSC codes by obligations
| Rank | PSC code | Obligated, FY2026–FY2027 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V126 Space Transportation and Launch Services | $4,179,412,013 | |
| 2 |
F003 Forest/ |
$1,058,676,690 | |
| 3 | V221 Passenger Air Charter Service | $952,193,111 | |
| 4 | V121 Air Charter for Things | $918,883,953 | |
| 5 | V119 Other Cargo and Freight Services | $691,516,713 | |
| 6 | AR14 Space R&D Services; Space Flight, Research and Supporting Activities; R&D Administrative Expenses | $412,985,034 | |
| 7 | V211 Air Passenger Service | $295,621,197 | |
| 8 | 1510 Aircraft, Fixed Wing | $160,489,875 | |
| 9 | V111 Air Freight | $90,727,021 | |
| 10 | J018 Maintenance, Repair and Rebuilding of Equipment: Space Vehicles | $55,128,779 |
Contract obligations by state
| Rank | Place of performance | Obligated, last 12 months | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $3,707,735,758 | |
| 2 | Virginia | $807,889,001 | |
| 3 | Colorado | $412,600,953 | |
| 4 | Florida | $375,459,420 | |
| 5 | Texas | $345,469,630 | |
| 6 | Idaho | $314,145,922 | |
| 7 | Missouri | $251,809,596 | |
| 8 | Montana | $226,634,492 | |
| 9 | Alaska | $161,085,962 | |
| 10 | Washington | $160,926,249 | |
| 11 | Oregon | $108,944,773 | |
| 12 | Georgia | $84,353,027 | |
| 13 | Guam | $54,136,685 | |
| 14 | Arizona | $52,942,995 | |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $45,179,319 | |
| 16 | Nevada | $42,398,342 | |
| 17 | Louisiana | $42,384,613 | |
| 18 | New Mexico | $28,545,186 | |
| 19 | Maryland | $25,823,377 | |
| 20 | Michigan | $24,610,547 | |
| 21 | Utah | $24,085,647 | |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $21,437,770 | |
| 23 | Wyoming | $15,806,329 | |
| 24 | New York | $14,286,735 | |
| 25 | South Dakota | $12,880,691 | |
| 26 | North Carolina | $9,913,964 | |
| 27 | Hawaii | $6,654,928 | |
| 28 | Kentucky | $5,402,871 | |
| 29 | Minnesota | $4,941,170 | |
| 30 | Alabama | $4,557,492 | |
| 31 | Ohio | $4,420,378 | |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $3,862,713 | |
| 33 | Arkansas | $3,765,216 | |
| 34 | South Carolina | $3,231,969 | |
| 35 | Kansas | $2,404,150 | |
| 36 | Mississippi | $2,303,293 | |
| 37 | Puerto Rico | $1,901,725 | |
| 38 | Iowa | $1,643,554 | |
| 39 | Indiana | $1,546,888 | |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $1,464,292 | |
| 41 | Nebraska | $1,351,462 | |
| 42 | New Hampshire | $1,054,939 | |
| 43 | Vermont | $817,635 | |
| 44 | New Jersey | $700,733 | |
| 45 | North Dakota | $581,480 | |
| 46 | Connecticut | $520,199 | |
| 47 | Delaware | $490,203 | |
| 48 | Tennessee | $406,720 | |
| 49 | Maine | $194,690 | |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $79,000 | |
| 51 | West Virginia | $42,975 |
Show all 51
Shares are of everything obligated under NAICS 481 in the last 12 months before deobligations, including work performed abroad or with no place of performance on record.
Contract opportunities
Show 35 more
Latest 45 of 4,002 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Codes under 481
Quick answers
What is NAICS 481?
NAICS 481 is Air Transportation, a subsector in NAICS 48-49, Transportation and Warehousing.
What codes are under NAICS 481?
NAICS 481 has 2 codes under it with their own GovTribe pages: 4811 Scheduled Air Transportation and 4812 Nonscheduled Air Transportation.
How much do federal agencies spend under NAICS 481?
Federal contracts under NAICS 481 obligated $6,274,017,672 in fiscal year 2025 and $28,220,064,119 in fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
Who are the largest contractors under NAICS 481?
The contractors with the most obligated under NAICS 481 in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 are Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ($3,168,499,134); Atlas Air, Inc. ($609,778,906); and Salus Worldwide Solutions Corp. ($562,324,411).
Which agencies buy the most under NAICS 481?
The agencies that obligated the most under NAICS 481 in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 are Air Force ($5,637,161,457), Department of Agriculture ($1,197,345,904) and Department of Homeland Security ($989,818,965).
Which PSC codes are used with NAICS 481?
The PSC codes with the most obligated under NAICS 481 in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 are V126 Space Transportation and Launch Services, F003 Forest/
Where is the work under NAICS 481 performed?
By place of performance, the states with the most contract obligations under NAICS 481 over the last 12 months are California ($3,707,735,758), Virginia ($807,889,001) and Colorado ($412,600,953).
What is the latest contract opportunity under NAICS 481?
The latest contract opportunity under NAICS 481 is Fair Opportunity Exception for T0433 Geospace Dynamics Constellation Trailblazer (GDC-T) Implementation, limited / sole source justification from Armstrong Flight Research Center, posted November 10, 2026.
On GovTribe
See everything under NAICS 481
- Federal contract opportunities, awards and IDVs under this code
- Funding analysis by contractor, agency and set-aside
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