Air Traffic Control Abbreviations
| Acronym |
Meaning |
| AAR |
Airport Acceptance Rate or Airport Arrival Rate. The number of arrivals an airport is capable
of accepting each hour. |
| AC or A/C |
Aircraft |
| ADZY |
Advisory |
| ARPT |
Airport |
| ARSR |
Air Route Surveillance Radar. Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) radar used primarily
to detect and display an aircraft's position while en route between terminal areas. The ARSR enables
controllers to provide radar air traffic control service when aircraft are within the ARSR coverage.
In some instances, ARSR may enable an ARTCC to provide terminal radar services similar to but usually
more limited than those provided by a radar approach control. |
| ARTCC |
Air Route Traffic Control Center. A facility established to provide air traffic control service
to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace and principally during the en route
phase of flight. When equipment capabilities and controller workload permit, certain advisory/assistance
services may be provided to VFR aircraft. There are 20 ARTCCs in the continental U.S. |
| ASR |
Airport Surveillance Radar. Approach control radar used to detect and display an aircraft's position
in the terminal area. ASR provides range and azimuth information but does not provide elevation data.
Coverage of the ASR can extend up to 60 miles. |
| ATC |
Air Traffic Control. A service operated by appropriate authority to promote the safe, orderly and
expeditious flow of air traffic. |
| ATCSCC |
Air Traffic Control System Command Center |
| ATCT |
Airport Traffic Control Tower. A terminal facility that uses air/ground communications, visual signaling,
and other devices to provide ATC services to aircraft operating in the vicinity of an airport or on the
movement area. Authorizes aircraft to land or takeoff at the airport controlled by the tower or to transit
the Class D airspace area regardless of flight plan or weather conditions (IFR or VFR). A tower may also
provide approach control services (radar or nonradar). |
| BCT |
Boston Consolidated TRACON |
| C90 |
Chicago TRACON |
| CDM |
Collaborative Decision Making. Cooperative effort between the various components of aviation
transportation, both government and industry, to exchange information for better decision making. |
| CDR |
Coded Departure Routes. Predefined routes used to route air traffic around areas of severe weather. |
| CIGS |
Ceilings. The height above the ground of the base of the lowest layer of clouds when over half of the sky is obscured. |
| CLSD |
Closed |
| CZE |
Edmonton Center |
| CZU |
Montreal Center |
| CZV |
Vancouver Center |
| CZW |
Winnipeg Center |
| CZY |
Toronto Center |
| EDCT |
Expected Departure Clearance Time. Time issued to a flight to indicate when it can expect to receive
departure clearance. EDCTs are issued as part of Traffic Management Programs, such as a Ground Delay
Program (GDP). |
| EMERG |
Emergency |
| EQUIP |
Equipment |
| FSM |
Flight Schedule Monitor. A tool used by Air Traffic Management Specialists to monitor air traffic
demand at airports. |
| FSS |
Flight Service Station. Air traffic facilities which provide pilot briefing, en route communications and VFR search and rescue
services, assist lost aircraft and aircraft in emergency situations, relay ATC clearances, originate Notices to Airmen, broadcast
aviation weather and NAS information, receive and process IFR flight plans, and monitor NAVAIDs. In addition, at selected locations,
FSSs provide En Route Flight Advisory Service (Flight Watch), take weather observations, issue airport advisories, and advise
Customs and Immigration of transborder flights. |
| GDP |
Ground Delay Program. Ground Delay Programs are implemented to control air traffic volume to
airports where the projected traffic demand is expected to exceed the airport's acceptance rate for a
lengthy period of time. Lengthy periods of demand exceeding acceptance rate are normally a result of the
airport's acceptance rate being reduced for some reason. The most common reason for a reduction in
acceptance rate is adverse weather such as low ceilings and visibility.
How it works:
Flights that are destined to the affected airport are issued Expected Departure Clearance
Times (EDCT) at their point of departure. Flights that have been issued EDCTs are not permitted to depart
until their Expected Departure Clearance Time. These ECDTs are calculated in such a way as to meter the rate
that traffic arrives at the affected airport; ensuring that demand is equal to acceptance rate. The length
of delays that result from the implementation of a Ground Delay Program depends upon two factors: how much
greater than the acceptance rate the original demand was, and for what length of time the original demand
was expected to exceed the acceptance rate. |
| GPS |
Global Positioning System |
| GS |
Ground Stop. Ground Stops are implemented for a number of reasons. The most common reasons are:
- To control air traffic volume to airports when the projected traffic demand is expected to exceed
the airport's acceptance rate for a short period of time.
- To temporarily stop traffic allowing for the implementation of a longer-term solution, such as
a Ground Delay Program.
- The affected airport's acceptance rate has been reduced to zero.
How it works:
Flights that are destined to the affected airport are held at their departure point for the duration of
the Ground Stop.
|
| IFR |
Instrument Flight Rules. A set of rules governing the conduct of flight under instrument
meteorological conditions. |
| ILS |
Instrument Landing System. A ground based precision approach system that provides course and
vertical guidance to landing aircraft. |
| LAADR |
Low Altitude Airway Departure Route. |
| LAHSO |
Land and Hold Short Operations. Operations which include simultaneous takeoffs and landings and/or simultaneous landings when a landing aircraft is able and is instructed by the controller to
hold short of the intersecting runway/taxiway or designated hold-short point. Pilots are expected to promptly inform the controller if the hold short clearance cannot be accepted. |
| LO CIGS |
Low Ceilings. Low clouds. |
| LOC |
Localizer. The component of an ILS that provides course guidance to the runway. |
| MINIT |
Minutes in Trail. A specified interval between aircraft expressed in time. |
| MIT |
Miles in Trail. A specified interval between aircraft expressed in nautical miles. |
| MULTI-TAXI |
Many aircraft trying to taxi at once, creating congestion. |
| N90 |
New York TRACON |
| NAS |
National Airspace System. The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation facilities, equipment
and services, airports or landing areas. |
| NAVAID |
Navigational Aid. Any visual or electronic device, airborne or on the surface, which provides
point-to-point guidance information or position data to aircraft in flight. |
| NCT |
Northern California TRACON (NOCAL) |
| NM |
Nautical Mile. International unit equal to 6076.115 feet (1852 meters). |
| NOTAM |
Notice to Airmen. A notice containing information (not known sufficiently in advance to publicize
by other means) concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any component (facility, service,
or procedure of, or hazard in the National Airspace System) the timely knowledge of which is essential to
personnel concerned with flight operations. |
| NRP |
National Route Plan. The NRP is a set of rules and procedures which are designed to increase the
flexibility of user flight planning within published guidelines. |
| OTS |
Out of service |
| PCT |
Potomac Consolidated TRACON |
| RLSD |
Released |
| RRTES |
Reroutes |
| RWY |
Runway |
| RWY CONFIG |
Runway Configuration |
| RY |
Runway |
| SCT |
Southern California TRACON (SOCAL) |
| SPO |
Strategic Plan of Operation. See SPT. |
| SPT |
Strategic Planning Team. The Strategic Planning Team acts as a focal point for the development of
collaborative Strategic Plans of Operation. Their goal is to provide advanced planning information for
system users and air traffic facilities in order to maximize the utilization of the NAS in an organized
and equitable manner. |
| STMP |
Special Traffic Management Program. Reservation program implemented to regulate arrivals and/or
departures at airports that are in areas hosting special events such as the Masters Golf Tournament and
Indianapolis 500. |
| SVRWX |
Severe Weather |
| SWAP |
Severe Weather Avoidance Plan. An approved plan to minimize the effect of severe weather on traffic
flows in impacted terminal and/or ARTCC areas. SWAP is normally implemented to provide the least disruption
to the ATC system when flight through portions of airspace is difficult or impossible due to severe weather. |
| TACAN |
Tactical Air Navigation Aid. An ultra-high frequency electronic rho-theta air navigation aid which
provides suitably equipped aircraft a continuous indication of bearing and distance to the TACAN station. |
| TFC |
Traffic |
| TMPA |
Traffic Management Program Alert |
| TRACON |
Terminal Radar Control Facility. A terminal ATC facility that uses radar and nonradar capabilities
to provide approach control services to aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting airspace controlled
by the facility. |
| TSD |
Traffic Situation Display. A tool used by Traffic Management Specialists to monitor the position of
air traffic and to determine the traffic demand on airports and sectors. |
| TSTMS |
Thunderstorms |
| UTC |
Coordinated Universal Time (abbreviated as UTC, and therefore often spelled out as Universal Time
Coordinated and sometimes as Universal Coordinated Time) is the standard time common to every place in the
world. Formerly and still widely called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and also World Time, UTC nominally
reflects the mean solar time along the Earth's prime meridian. |
| VAPS |
Visual Approaches. An approach conducted under Instrument Flight Rules that authorizes the pilot to
proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport. Usually this will be used in conjunction with Visual
Separation. When using Visual Separation, a pilot sees the other aircraft involved, and upon instructions
from the controller, provides his own separation by maneuvering his aircraft as necessary to avoid it.
Visual Separation requires less spacing between aircraft than radar separation allowing more aircraft to
land in a given period of time. |
| VFR |
Visual Flight Rules. Rules that govern the procedures for conducting flight under visual conditions.
The term "VFR" is also used in the United States to indicate weather conditions that are equal to or greater
than minimum VFR requirements. In addition, it is used by pilots and controllers to indicate a type of flight
plan. |
| VOL |
Volume. Usually used to indicate that the volume of aircraft exceeds the airport's capacity. |
| VOR |
Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range. A ground-based electronic navigation aid transmitting very
high frequency navigation signals, 360 degrees in azimuth, oriented from magnetic north. Used as the basis
for navigation in the National Airspace System. The VOR periodically identifies itself by Morse Code and may
have an additional voice identification feature. Voice features may be used by ATC or FSS for transmitting
instructions/information to pilots. |
| VORTAC |
A navigation aid providing VOR azimuth, TACAN azimuth, and TACAN distance measuring equipment (DME)
at one site. |
| VSBY |
Visibility. The ability, as determined by atmospheric conditions and expressed in units of distance,
to see and identify prominent unlighted objects by day and prominent lighted objects by night. |
| WND |
Wind |
| WX |
Weather |
| WX DEV |
Weather Deviation |
| Z |
Zulu Time. Another term used to designate Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the standard time common
to every place in the world. Formerly and still widely called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and also World Time,
UTC nominally reflects the mean solar time along the Earth's prime meridian. |
| ZAB |
Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZAU |
Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZBW |
Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZDC |
Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZDV |
Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZFW |
Dallas-Ft Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZHU |
Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZID |
Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZJX |
Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZKC |
Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZLA |
Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZLC |
Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZMA |
Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZME |
Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZMP |
Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZNY |
New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZOA |
Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZOB |
Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZSE |
Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZTL |
Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |