CifpApproach

ARINC 424 Section 4.1 instrument approach procedure records defining all legs, fixes, and constraints for published approach procedures at airports

Source: CIFPTable: CIFP_APPROACHVersion: 239462ba9c35 (effective 2026-04-16)

Each row represents one leg (sequence step) of an approach procedure. Multiple rows with the same SID_STAR_APPROACH_IDENTIFIER and TRANSITION_IDENTIFIER form a complete procedure segment. CONTINUATION_RECORD_NO > 1 indicates continuation records with supplemental data rather than primary leg data.

Example query

{
  cifpApproaches(airportIdentifier: "KSFO", limit: 20) {
    airportIdentifier
    sidStarApproachIdentifier
    transitionIdentifier
    sequenceNumber
    fixIdentifier
  }
}

Run at https://api.nav.sortie.co/graphql — GraphiQL is available in-browser.

Fields (43)

Field	Type	Description	Units	Enum
recordType ← RECORD_TYPE	CifpApproachRecordType	Indicates whether the record is a standard record or a tailored record		S — Standard record T — Tailored record
customerAreaCode ← CUSTOMER_AREA_CODE	CustomerAreaCode	Geographic area code identifying the ICAO region or country grouping for the record		CAN — Canada LAM — Latin America and Caribbean PAC — Pacific (excluding Alaska/Hawaii specific) SPA — South Pacific Area USA — United States
sectionCode ← SECTION_CODE	String	ARINC 424 section code identifying the record type; PF indicates Airport Approach Procedures (heliport or standard airport approach)
airportIdentifier ← AIRPORT_IDENTIFIER	String	ICAO four-character identifier of the airport or heliport for which the approach procedure is defined
icaoCode ← ICAO_CODE	CifpApproachIcaoCode	ICAO region code associated with the airport identifier, used to resolve identifier uniqueness across regions		19 values K1 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 1) K2 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 2) K3 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 3) K4 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 4) K5 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 5) K6 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 6) K7 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 7) NS — North Atlantic/Greenland/Iceland PA — Alaska PF — Pacific (Micronesia/Marshall Islands area) PG — Guam and Mariana Islands PH — Hawaii PK — Marshall Islands PM — Midway Island PO — Pacific Ocean PP — Pacific (general) PT — Trust Territory of the Pacific TI — US Virgin Islands TJ — Puerto Rico
sidStarApproachIdentifier ← SID_STAR_APPROACH_IDENTIFIER	String	The coded identifier for the approach procedure (e.g., ILS28, RNAV-A, VOR16R), up to 6 characters
routeType ← ROUTE_TYPE	RouteType	Identifies the type of approach procedure or segment represented by this record		14 values A — Approach transition (initial and intermediate segments) B — LOC Back Course approach D — VOR/DME approach H — RNP approach (AR) I — ILS approach J — GLS approach L — LOC approach N — NDB approach P — GPS approach Q — NDB/DME approach R — RNAV approach S — VOR approach using VOR/DME V — VOR approach X — LDA approach
transitionIdentifier ← TRANSITION_IDENTIFIER	String	Identifies the transition segment of the approach procedure; may be a fix name for an IAF transition, 'ALL' for common transitions, or blank/special codes for the final approach segment
sequenceNumber ← SEQUENCE_NUMBER	String	Sequence number defining the order of leg records within a transition segment, incremented in steps of 10
fixIdentifier ← FIX_IDENTIFIER	String	The identifier of the waypoint, navaid, airport, or runway fix that terminates or defines this approach leg
icaoCode2 ← ICAO_CODE_2	IcaoCode2	ICAO region code associated with FIX_IDENTIFIER, used to resolve fix identifier uniqueness; corresponds to the subsection defined by SECTION_CODE_2		23 values CY — Canada K — Contiguous US (general) K1 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 1) K2 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 2) K3 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 3) K4 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 4) K5 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 5) K6 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 6) K7 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 7) MM — Mexico NS — North Atlantic/Greenland/Iceland NZ — New Zealand P — Pacific (general) PA — Alaska PF — Pacific (Micronesia/Marshall Islands area) PG — Guam and Mariana Islands PH — Hawaii PK — Marshall Islands PM — Midway Island PP — Pacific (general) PT — Trust Territory of the Pacific TI — US Virgin Islands TJ — Puerto Rico
sectionCode2 ← SECTION_CODE_2	SectionCode2	ARINC 424 section/subsection code indicating the data type of FIX_IDENTIFIER (what kind of database table the fix is found in)		D — VHF Navaid (VOR, DME, VORTAC, TACAN) DB — NDB Navaid EA — Enroute Waypoint PC — Terminal (Approach/SID/STAR) Waypoint PG — Runway PN — Terminal NDB Navaid
continuationRecordNo ← CONTINUATION_RECORD_NO	ContinuationRecordNo	Indicates whether this is a primary record or a continuation record providing additional data for the same leg		0 — Primary record (no continuation) 1 — First continuation record 2 — Second continuation record
waypointDescriptionCode ← WAYPOINT_DESCRIPTION_CODE	String	Up to four character coded field describing the role and type of the fix/waypoint in the procedure. First character indicates waypoint type, second indicates fly-over/fly-by, third/fourth indicate special attributes		54 values E — Essential waypoint (enroute type) E A — Essential waypoint, airport as fix E B — Essential waypoint, fly-over E D — Essential waypoint, DME waypoint E F — Essential waypoint, first leg of missed approach E I — Essential waypoint, IAF E M — Essential waypoint, missed approach point E M — Essential waypoint, missed approach point (alt format) E R — Essential waypoint, non-essential (radar) E RF — Essential waypoint, RF leg arc center E S — Essential waypoint, stepdown fix EB — Essential fly-over waypoint EB B — Essential fly-over waypoint, fly-over EBM — Essential fly-over waypoint, missed approach EE — End of SID/STAR/approach transition waypoint EE A — End waypoint, airport as fix EE B — End waypoint, fly-over EY — Essential waypoint (terminal type) EY A — Essential terminal waypoint, airport as fix EY F — Essential terminal waypoint, first leg missed approach EY M — Essential terminal waypoint, missed approach point EYM — Essential terminal waypoint, missed approach point (alt format) EYS — Essential terminal waypoint, stepdown fix G — Runway as waypoint G M — Runway waypoint, missed approach point G M — Runway waypoint, missed approach point (alt format) GY M — Runway terminal waypoint, missed approach point M — Missed approach waypoint N — NDB navaid as waypoint N A — NDB navaid as waypoint, airport N F — NDB navaid as waypoint, first leg missed approach N I — NDB navaid as waypoint, IAF N M — NDB navaid as waypoint, missed approach point NE — NDB navaid as essential waypoint NE A — NDB navaid as essential waypoint, airport NY — NDB navaid as terminal essential waypoint NY M — NDB navaid as terminal essential waypoint, missed approach NYM — NDB navaid as terminal essential waypoint, missed approach (alt format) V — VHF navaid as waypoint V A — VHF navaid as waypoint, airport V B — VHF navaid as waypoint, fly-over V D — VHF navaid as waypoint, DME V F — VHF navaid as waypoint, first leg missed approach V I — VHF navaid as waypoint, IAF V M — VHF navaid as waypoint, missed approach point VB — VHF navaid fly-over waypoint VE — VHF navaid as essential waypoint VE A — VHF navaid as essential waypoint, airport VE B — VHF navaid as essential waypoint, fly-over VEM — VHF navaid as essential waypoint, missed approach VY — VHF navaid as terminal essential waypoint VY M — VHF navaid as terminal essential waypoint, missed approach VYM — VHF navaid as terminal essential waypoint, missed approach (alt format) Y M — Terminal waypoint, missed approach point
turnDirection ← TURN_DIRECTION	TurnDirection	Specifies the direction of a turn associated with this leg when a turn is required		L — Left turn R — Right turn
rnp ← RNP	String	Required Navigation Performance value for this leg segment. Stored as integer representing tenths of nautical miles (e.g., 010 = 1.0 NM, 030 = 3.0 NM, 112 = 0.112 NM)	nautical miles (implied decimal: divide by 100)
pathAndTermination ← PATH_AND_TERMINATION	PathAndTermination	ARINC 424 path terminator code defining how this leg is flown and what ends it		19 values AF — Arc to Fix (DME arc to a fix) CA — Course to Altitude CD — Course to DME Distance CF — Course to Fix CI — Course to Next Leg Intercept DF — Direct to Fix FA — Fix to Altitude FC — Fix to a Distance on Course HF — Hold at Fix with one circuit terminating at the fix HM — Hold at Fix with manual termination IF — Initial Fix (start of segment) PI — Procedure Turn (45/180 or 80/260) RF — Radius to Fix (constant radius arc) TF — Track to Fix VA — Heading to Altitude VD — Heading to DME Distance VI — Heading to Next Leg Intercept VM — Heading to Manual Termination VR — Heading to Radial Intercept
turnDirectionValid ← TURN_DIRECTION_VALID	TurnDirectionValid	Indicates whether the TURN_DIRECTION field is mandatory (required) for this leg or advisory only		Y — Turn direction is mandatory
recommendedNavaid ← RECOMMENDED_NAVAID	String	Identifier of the recommended navaid (VOR, DME, NDB, etc.) used for tuning to fly this leg; provides primary navigation reference
icaoCode3 ← ICAO_CODE_3	IcaoCode3	ICAO region code associated with RECOMMENDED_NAVAID, used to resolve navaid identifier uniqueness		14 values CY — Canada K1 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 1) K2 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 2) K3 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 3) K4 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 4) K5 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 5) K6 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 6) K7 — Contiguous US (ARTCC areas 7) NS — North Atlantic/Greenland/Iceland PA — Alaska PG — Guam and Mariana Islands PH — Hawaii PT — Trust Territory of the Pacific TJ — Puerto Rico
arcRadius ← ARC_RADIUS	String	Radius of the arc for RF (Radius to Fix) or AF (Arc to Fix) leg types, measured in nautical miles	nautical miles
theta ← THETA	String	Magnetic bearing from the recommended navaid to the fix (radial from navaid), expressed in tenths of degrees	degrees magnetic (tenths)
rho ← RHO	String	Distance (DME) from the recommended navaid to the fix, expressed in tenths of nautical miles	nautical miles (tenths)
magneticCourse ← MAGNETIC_COURSE	String	Magnetic course (inbound or outbound) to be flown for this leg, expressed in tenths of degrees	degrees magnetic (tenths)
routeHoldingDistanceOrTime ← ROUTE_HOLDING_DISTANCE_OR_TIME	String	For holding patterns: inbound leg length as distance or time. For procedure turns: distance from fix. Interpretation depends on context (distance in tenths of NM or time in tenths of minutes)	nautical miles or minutes (tenths)
recommendedNavaid2 ← RECOMMENDED_NAVAID_2	RecommendedNavaid2	Section/subsection code indicating the type of the RECOMMENDED_NAVAID, used to look up the navaid in the appropriate database table		D — VHF Navaid (VOR, DME, VORTAC, TACAN) DB — NDB Navaid PI — ILS/LOC (localizer) PN — Terminal NDB PT — Terminal TACAN
altitudeDescription ← ALTITUDE_DESCRIPTION	String	Coded field describing how ALTITUDE and ALTITUDE_2 values should be interpreted as altitude constraints for this leg		9 values + — At or above altitude (ALTITUDE field) - — At or below altitude (ALTITUDE field) B — Between altitudes (at or above ALTITUDE_2 and at or below ALTITUDE) G — Glide slope altitude at ALTITUDE, at or above ALTITUDE_2 (for ILS/GLS) H — Glide slope altitude at ALTITUDE_2, at or above ALTITUDE I — ILS glide slope intercept altitude at ALTITUDE, at or above ALTITUDE_2 J — ILS glide slope intercept altitude at ALTITUDE_2, at or above ALTITUDE V — Step-down fix altitude at ALTITUDE, at or above ALTITUDE_2 X — At altitude (mandatory crossing altitude)
atcIndicator ← ATC_INDICATOR	AtcIndicator	Indicates that the altitude constraint is an ATC-imposed restriction rather than a procedure design constraint		A — ATC altitude restriction
altitude ← ALTITUDE	String	Primary altitude constraint for this leg (interpretation defined by ALTITUDE_DESCRIPTION). May represent crossing altitude, minimum altitude, maximum altitude, or glide slope intercept altitude	feet MSL
altitude2 ← ALTITUDE_2	String	Secondary altitude constraint for this leg when ALTITUDE_DESCRIPTION indicates a dual-altitude constraint (e.g., B, G, H, I, J, V)	feet MSL
transitionAltitude ← TRANSITION_ALTITUDE	String	The transition altitude or transition level applicable at the airport for this procedure, above which flight levels are used	feet MSL
speedLimit ← SPEED_LIMIT	String	Speed constraint applicable at this fix/waypoint for the approach procedure	knots
verticalAngle ← VERTICAL_ANGLE	String	Vertical path angle for the approach leg, typically the final approach descent angle (e.g., -300 = -3.00 degrees). Expressed in hundredths of degrees	degrees (hundredths, negative = descent)
centerFixOrTaaProcedureTurnIndicator ← CENTER_FIX_OR_TAA_PROCEDURE_TURN_INDICATOR	String	For RF legs: the identifier of the center fix of the arc. For TAA records: the procedure turn indicator. For procedure turns: identifies the associated fix
multipleCodeOrTaaSectorIdentifier ← MULTIPLE_CODE_OR_TAA_SECTOR_IDENTIFIER	MultipleCodeOrTaaSectorIdentifier	For procedures with multiple approach types sharing an identifier: a letter differentiating them. For TAA records: identifies the TAA sector (Initial Approach Fix sector)		A — First variant or TAA straight-in sector B — Second variant or TAA left base sector
icaoCode4 ← ICAO_CODE_4	IcaoCode4	ICAO region code associated with CENTER_FIX_OR_TAA_PROCEDURE_TURN_INDICATOR fix, used to resolve its identifier		K — Contiguous US (general) N — North Atlantic/Pacific P — Pacific T — Caribbean/Trust Territory
sectionCode3 ← SECTION_CODE_3	SectionCode3	ARINC 424 section/subsection code indicating the database type for the CENTER_FIX_OR_TAA_PROCEDURE_TURN_INDICATOR fix		D — VHF Navaid DB — NDB Navaid PA — Airport reference point PC — Terminal Waypoint PG — Runway PN — Terminal NDB
gnssFmsIndication ← GNSS_FMS_INDICATION	GnssFmsIndication	Indicates GNSS/FMS equipage requirements or qualifications for this approach procedure or leg		0 — No GNSS/FMS indication 3 — GNSS required A — FMS approach (not RNAV) B — GNSS or FMS approach authorized P — GNSS approach (GPS)
speedLimitDescription ← SPEED_LIMIT_DESCRIPTION	String	Qualifier indicating whether the speed limit is a maximum or minimum constraint		+ — At or above speed (minimum speed) - — At or below speed (maximum speed)
apchRouteQualifier1 ← APCH_ROUTE_QUALIFIER_1	ApchRouteQualifier1	First approach route qualifier providing additional classification of the approach type, precision capability, or special procedure characteristics		8 values A — Autopilot approach (Category I ILS) D — DME required F — FMS required J — GNSS/GPS required L — LNAV only N — Non-precision approach P — PBN/RNAV approach W — Weather/visibility minima alternate
apchRouteQualifier2 ← APCH_ROUTE_QUALIFIER_2	ApchRouteQualifier2	Second approach route qualifier providing additional detail about the approach, often indicating the approach category or special authorization		C — Circle-to-land H — Helicopter approach S — Straight-in approach
fileRecordNo ← FILE_RECORD_NO	String	Sequential file record number assigned to this record within the CIFP data file, used for traceability and record identification
cycleDate ← CYCLE_DATE	String	AIRAC cycle date when this record was last updated, in YYWW format (2-digit year followed by 2-digit AIRAC cycle week number)