The Executive Shuttle was a short-range transport used to transfer important personnel and dignitaries, or for deployment from large starships during surface evacuation operations. Executive Shuttles were faster, more efficient, and provided greater capacity than shuttlecraft in these roles, but their range was far inferior.

Federation shuttle SD-103 (NAR-25820) was a civilian orbital transport assigned to Earth Spacedock, and ferried the command crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A to their vessel moored in Spacedock in 2293. The Executive Shuttle design was still utilised into the 2370s.

An Executive Shuttle from the U.S.S. Farragut NCC-60597 assisted in the evacuation of U.S.S. Enterprise-D personnel from the surface of Veridian III, after the latter ship’s saucer section had crash-landed there in 2371.