.air

Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential. Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators. LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.

1. Mission and Purpose of the Applied-for gTLD .air gives commercial activity built around aviation, air transport, and air-systems a naming layer that says what a business does the moment its address is read. Where generic extensions ask companies to explain their category in a tagline, .air carries that meaning in the name itself. A charter operator at fly.air, an air freight forwarder at cargo.air, or a filtration manufacturer at pure.air can establish an online identity that is short, descriptive, and instantly tied to its market. The purpose is to support the economic ecosystems that move people, goods, and breathable air. These are revenue-generating industries with active buyers: passengers booking seats, shippers moving time-sensitive freight, facilities managers sourcing ventilation systems, and operators marketing flight services. For each, a .air address turns a name into something meaningful and helps the business be found by customers who already think in terms of "air." By concentrating registrants around aviation, air logistics, and atmospheric and air-quality commerce, .air aims to become a recognizable shorthand for these connected markets. It helps businesses create a clear, memorable presence for what they do, and it helps buyers understand who they are dealing with before the first click. Intended Registrants: Aviation operators, airlines, charter and private flight services, air cargo and logistics firms, drone and unmanned aerial system companies, air quality and ventilation businesses, and HVAC manufacturers and suppliers. Related Activities Supporting the Purpose: • Awareness-building among aviation, air cargo, and air-quality commercial sectors. • Registrar distribution to reach operators, manufacturers, and service providers. • Registrant education on building a clear, category-specific web address. • Community outreach within aerospace, logistics, and air-systems industries. • Responsible registry operations. 2. Sustainability of the Purpose Over Time Air travel, air freight, and air-quality systems are established commercial markets with recurring demand, paying customers, and continual reinvestment, and that commercial footing is what keeps the namespace relevant. Moving people and cargo by air is one of the most time-sensitive, high-value forms of transport, and businesses pay premiums for speed and reach. Carriers, brokers, charter services, and freight forwarders compete for those customers continuously, which sustains a steady incentive to market clearly and be discoverable. Separately, a large commercial market exists around the quality of air itself: ventilation, filtration, purification, and climate-handling products are bought and sold across residential, industrial, and healthcare settings, generating ongoing transactions and brand competition. What makes this durable is that the underlying demand is structural, not trend-driven. Goods will continue to need fast movement across distances; people will continue to travel for commerce, family, and trade; and indoor environments will continue to require managed, breathable air. These are spending categories tied to fundamental commercial and physical needs rather than to any single platform or technology. The specific aircraft, sensors, or booking tools may change, but the markets for air transport and air systems persist because the economic need they serve persists. That breadth of paying participants also protects the namespace. .air is anchored to several distinct revenue-bearing sectors at once: passenger aviation, cargo and logistics, and air-quality manufacturing and services. If demand softens in one segment, others continue to generate registrations and renewals, giving the namespace multiple independent sources of commercial momentum.

The mission of .air is to provide a versatile namespace for lawful aviation, air-quality, ventilation, broadcasting, environmental, travel, technology, and lifestyle initiatives. Intended registrants include businesses, organizations, professionals, educators, communities, and individuals. Regulated activities must comply with applicable licensing, safety, and consumer-protection requirements. Its mission is sustainable because air, communications, mobility, and environmental quality have continuing global relevance.

The mission of .AIR is to provide a namespace associated with the applied-for string. The .AIR gTLD is intended to serve a broad range of registrants and users, including individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with, relate to, or wish to be associated with the concept represented by the applied-for string. The purpose of .AIR is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Vinyl Strings, LLC will make .AIR available for registration through registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain a secure, stable, and reliable registry infrastructure; implement registration and operational policies that support the availability, security, and integrity of the namespace; and provide ongoing administration of the gTLD to enable registrants to register and use domain names within the namespace. The purpose of .AIR is sustainable over time because the applied-for string is broadly recognized and has broad applicability across a wide range of contexts. As society, technology, and methods of communication evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.

1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis. 2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD. 3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting. 4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.