ETOPS
Extended-range Twin-engine Operations · Also: EDTO, extended operations, extended diversion time operations
Rules that let twin-engine aircraft fly routes far from suitable diversion airports, up to a maximum one-engine flying time approved for each aircraft type and airline.
What it is
In the United States the so-called 60-minute rule kept twin-engine airliners for decades within an hour's flying time, on one engine, of an airport where they could land, leaving ocean crossings to three- and four-engine aircraft. ETOPS rules, written for twins in the mid-1980s, lift that limit when the aircraft design is certified for it and the airline demonstrates dedicated maintenance and operating procedures.
Approval is expressed in minutes, such as ETOPS-120, 180, 207 or more, according to the maximum diversion time allowed; 180 minutes opens up the great majority of routes over the Atlantic and Pacific. Since 2007 the FAA has read the acronym as ‘extended operations’ and also applies it to passenger aircraft with more than two engines flying more than 180 minutes from an adequate airport. ICAO now calls these operations EDTO, extended diversion time operations.
The Boeing 767 pioneered twin-engine transatlantic flying in the 1980s, and the 777 entered service in 1995 with ETOPS-180 from day one. The A350 is certified for diversion times of up to 370 minutes, and twins such as the 787 and A330 have replaced many four-engine aircraft on long routes.
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). ETOPS. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops
MLA
“ETOPS.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “ETOPS.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) ETOPS. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops (Accessed: 17 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_etops,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{ETOPS}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops}},
urldate = {2026-10-17},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/etops |title=ETOPS |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}