What do the aircraft role codes mean?

The role field in an aircraft record describes the primary function of that specific aircraft, independent of the airline's broader business model. Because an operator may run a mixed fleet where individual aircraft serve very different purposes, the role is always assessed at the aircraft level.

Passenger & cargo roles

• PAX — Passenger — The aircraft's primary purpose is transporting passengers. Belly freight alongside passenger luggage is common and does not change the role.
• CAR — Cargo — Purpose-built or converted freighters. Look for "F" or "freighter" designations in the aircraft type description.
• COM — Combi — Part of the passenger cabin is permanently configured for freight, with dedicated cargo doors installed. This is not quickly reversible and is usually reflected in the aircraft model description.
• QUI — Quick change — Used only where an aircraft regularly and rapidly swaps between full passenger and full cargo configurations. No structural conversion or special cargo doors are involved.
• PRC — Passenger-freighter — A provisional configuration that became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic. Less sophisticated than QUI — seats may remain in place with freight secured on top. No structural modifications are involved.

Cargo role comparison at a glance: CAR = dedicated freighter (structural). COM = permanent mixed cabin with cargo doors. QUI = regular fast swap, no structural change. PRC = temporary or provisional freight use, no special modifications.

Medical roles

• AMB — Ambulance — Permanently fitted with fixed beds and medical equipment, most commonly converted business jets or smaller regional aircraft. Aircraft used provisionally for medical transport retain their PAX role.
• HOS — Hospital — A rare role reserved for widebody aircraft fully refitted as flying hospitals capable of carrying out surgical procedures. Typically operated by militaries or governments.
• QUA — Business jet / ambulance — Business jets that can be reconfigured from VIP passenger transport to a full air ambulance layout — including stretchers and medical equipment — within hours to one day by trained crews.

Business & VIP roles

• VIP — Business jet — Aircraft designed for the private transport of small groups, including executives, government officials, high-net-worth individuals, or military VIPs. Characterised by enhanced comfort and faster travel than commercial aircraft.

Specialist civil roles

• MAR — Maritime patrol — Equipped with special radar and camera systems, operated by governments, the military, or private contractors for tasks such as monitoring migration, fishing activity, and environmental protection at sea.
• WAT — Water bomber — Firefighting aircraft with tanks that fill by skimming lakes or the sea at low altitude. Operators may be commercial companies winning government tenders or military operators.
• PAR — Parachuting — Commercial operators using smaller regional aircraft to transport sport parachutists, typically with seats removed and a special jump door fitted. Military parachuting aircraft are assigned the MIL operator role instead.
• POL — Police — Aircraft operated by police services, most commonly helicopters used for surveillance and often identifiable by external night-vision camera equipment.
• AIM — Aerial observation, imaging and mapping — Civil aircraft used for surveying, photogrammetry, geological surveys, or non-military infrastructure monitoring such as pipeline and powerline patrol.
• AEA — Aero-environmental — Covers environmental and agricultural support operations, including oil spill response, crop dusting, cloud seeding, and livestock mustering.
• RES — Research — Scientific platforms used for meteorological research, air sampling, and remote sensing.
• CAL — Calibrator — Aircraft used for navigation inspection and calibrating ground-based flight equipment.
• MRF — Multi-role flexible — Civil aircraft easily reconfigured for a variety of different tasks without fitting neatly into a single other role category.

Military roles

• TAN — Tanker — Primarily military aircraft used for air-to-air refuelling. Note: firefighting tankers are assigned WAT, and oil spill response aircraft are assigned AEA.
• ISR — Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — Military aircraft for reconnaissance (SIGINT/ELINT), surveillance, airborne command and control, and communications relay.
• REA — Operational training and readiness — Specialist aircraft providing combat simulation and adversary roles, target towing, and electronic warfare testing for both military and civil defence training purposes.
• MTP — Military transport — Military aircraft used for personnel or cargo transport.

Manufacturer & testing roles

• TES — Testbed — Operated by manufacturers or suppliers, either as new airframes ahead of commercial introduction or as existing aircraft modified to test new engines or avionics. The role may change if the aircraft later enters commercial service.

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