Industries › NAICS 481212
Industry · NAICS 481212 · sector 48-49 Transportation and warehousing
Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation
Federal contract obligations classified under NAICS 481212, the organisations that win them and the agencies that award them.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $5.1B in contracts classified under NAICS 481212, Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation, in FY2026, and $19B over the five fiscal years since FY2023; the industry ranks 29 of 526 on this site.
Obligations were about level on FY2025 ($5.0B), with $0 so far in FY2027.
The largest recipient organisations over FY2022–FY2025 were Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ($6.2B), United Launch Services, LLC ($4.3B) and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation ($1.5B).
By place of performance, the most money went to CA, CO and ID.
Contract obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest industry FY2026
| Measure | This industry | Aircraft Manufacturing | All contracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract obligations, FY2026 | $5.1B | $45B | $716B |
| Five-year total | $19B | $211B | $3.0T |
| Share of all contract obligations, five years | 0.6% | 7.1% | 100% |
Top contractors obligations, FY2022–FY2025
| # | Organisation | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | $6.2B |
| 2 | United Launch Services, LLC | $4.3B |
| 3 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | $1.5B |
| 4 | Aero-Flite, Inc. | $355M |
| 5 | Firefly Aerospace Inc. | $285M |
| 6 | Sierra Nevada Company, LLC | $278M |
| 7 | Sierra Space Corp | $246M |
| 8 | Orbital Sciences LLC | $236M |
| 9 | Helicopter Transport Services, LLC | $226M |
| 10 | Helicopter Express LLC | $212M |
| 11 | Bridger Air Tanker LLC | $211M |
| 12 | Kalitta Air LLC | $210M |
| 13 | Intuitive Machines, LLC | $210M |
| 14 | Neptune Aviation Services, Inc. | $205M |
| 15 | Air Center Helicopters, Inc | $187M |
| 16 | 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC | $164M |
| 17 | Astrobotic Technology Inc | $163M |
| 18 | Aero Air, LLC | $159M |
| 19 | Air Transport International Inc | $153M |
| 20 | Coulson Aviation (usa), Inc. | $145M |
| 21 | Billings Flying Service LLC | $135M |
| 22 | Blue Origin, LLC | $126M |
| 23 | Siller Helicopters, LLC | $115M |
| 24 | Croman Corp | $113M |
| 25 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | $102M |
Buying agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the work is performed
Largest awards since FY2023
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $541M | 18 Oct 2024 | CA | USAspending |
| United Launch Services, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $223M | 30 May 2025 | CO | USAspending |
| United Launch Services, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $205M | 30 May 2025 | CO | USAspending |
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $205M | 9 Jan 2026 | CA | USAspending |
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $183M | 25 Jul 2024 | CA | USAspending |
| Blue Origin, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $182M | 14 Apr 2025 | CA | USAspending |
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $182M | 14 Apr 2025 | CA | USAspending |
| United Launch Services, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $175M | 14 Apr 2025 | CA | USAspending |
| Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $174M | 13 Jan 2026 | CA | USAspending |
| United Launch Services, LLC | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $171M | 25 Jul 2024 | CO | USAspending |
Other industries in sector 48-49: Transportation and warehousing
- 488190 Other Support Activities for Air Transportation $28B
- 483111 Deep Sea Freight Transportation $13B
- 481211 Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation $9.6B
- 492110 Couriers and Express Delivery Services $3.1B
- 493190 Other Warehousing and Storage $3.0B
- 493110 General Warehousing and Storage $2.8B
- 488999 All Other Support Activities for Transportation $1.7B
- 488510 Freight Transportation Arrangement $1.4B
- 488111 Air Traffic Control $1.4B
- 488310 Port and Harbor Operations $1.2B
- 481219 Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation $938M
- 485991 Special Needs Transportation $835M
- 488390 Other Support Activities for Water Transportation $790M
- 488320 Marine Cargo Handling $614M
- 485999 All Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation $467M
- 488330 Navigational Services to Shipping $417M
- 481112 Scheduled Freight Air Transportation $376M
- 485410 School and Employee Bus Transportation $361M
- 484210 Used Household and Office Goods Moving $360M
- 484230 Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance $348M
- 493120 Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage $327M
- 488119 Other Airport Operations $277M
- 491110 Postal Service $210M
- 483211 Inland Water Freight Transportation $201M
Questions and answers
How much does the federal government spend on NAICS 481212?
$5.1B in contract obligations classified under Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation in FY2026, $19B over the five fiscal years since FY2023. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who are the top contractors in Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation?
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. ($6.2B), United Launch Services, LLC ($4.3B), Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation ($1.5B), Aero-Flite, Inc. ($355M), Firefly Aerospace Inc. ($285M), by contract obligations over FY2022–FY2025.
Which agencies buy in this industry?
By the value of $1.0M-plus contracts since FY2023: Department of Defense ($9.5B), Department of Agriculture ($2.1B), National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($895M), Department of the Interior ($53M), Department of Health and Human Services ($1.0M).
What is a NAICS code?
In USAspending's words: "NAICS stands for the North American Industrial Classification System. This 6-digit code tells you what industry the work falls into. Each contract record has a NAICS code." Assistance awards (grants, loans, direct payments) carry no NAICS code and are not counted here.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (NAICS) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 NAICS list, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.