.aero is the world's first industry specific top level Internet domain reserved exclusively for the aviation community.

This community initiative was introduced in March 2002 and is sponsored by SITA, who manages and promotes this community initiative on a not-for-profit basis supported by the Dot Aero Council (DAC), an advisory body made up of members from aviation industry associations.

Mission

To create a structured, open and constantly evolving Internet naming architecture which will help the aviation community to integrate systems and service, and streamline communications within the community and with its partners.

Technically there is no distinction between .aero, .com and .net, the .aero registry services are handled by Afilias who operate world class technology
supporting some of the world's largest generic domain names such as .info and .org. Afilias has been intimately involved in the development of standards such as DNSSEC and enum – emerging standards significant to the continued development of .aero.

• As a sponsored domain, .aero can define and implement its own policies designed to safeguard the integrity of the domain, something that cannot be achieved in the original public domain structure ( .com, .net etc..)
• The .aero domain name can be used almost in the same way as any other domain name,.
• Many users register domain names because they want to set up a website with a clear link to the aviation community
• Being global, the .aero domain provides first-rate additional branding opportunities for anyone involved in aviation
• The value of the branding is ensured through the process of eligibility verification that each applicant has to satisfy.
• As a matter of policy 2 and 3-character airline and airport designator codes have been reserved for the exclusive use of the relevant airports
• Simply by restricting registration to authentic members of the air transport community, and through current and future policies, .aero has a potential to deliver a secure, predictable and trustworthy communications and business medium for passengers, customers and air transport partners - that is also low cost, fast and efficient.

More than just a domain name

However .aero is so much more than the provision of a domain name. .aero is helping the community progressively build a naming structure and a set of communication standards and technologies, which will allow the community members to communicate easily, and take full advantage of the new emerging Internet technology. DNS ( Domain Name System), the technology behind .aero, is an important element of the solution. One domain name (say gva.bag.lh.aero) can serve as a single unique identifier for a variety of different services/access methods.

The owners of the domain can configure themselves all information relevant to the domain name – how to reach people via VoIP, how to use e-mail, the location of the name server, the URI for Web service or the public key required for sending an encrypted message.

For more information on potential business applications click here

A sponsored domain

The .aero infrastructure and conventions have been developed and are monitored in co-operation with the Dot Aero Council (DAC). This advisory body is made up of members from aviation industry associations such as ACI (Airport Council International), CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Organisation), FAGSA(Federation of Airline General Sales Agents), FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale), IATA (International Air Transport Association), NBAA ( National Business Aviation Association), SITA (Societe International de Telecommunications Aeronatiques), ARINC and ICAO as an observer( International Civil Aviation Organization),

Our vision and mission

Vision: To help the aviation community facilitate transition from a single centralized network to an Internet environment by developing a predictable naming structure for industry systems to communicate with each other.

Mission: To design and create a structured, open and constantly evolving Internet naming architecture which will help the aviation community to integrate systems and service, and streamline communications within  the community and with its partners.