overflight

American  

[oh-ver-flahyt] / ˈoʊ vərˌflaɪt /

noun

1. an air flight that passes over a specific area, country, or territory.

   Overflights of foreign aircraft are closely monitored.

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overflight British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌflaɪt /

noun

1. the flight of an aircraft over a specific area or territory

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Etymology

Origin of overflight

1590–1600 as pertaining to the flight of birds; 1955–60 for current sense; over- + flight ¹

Example Sentences

The restrictions on U.S. access to basing and overflight in Saudi Arabia were earlier reported by NBC News.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Taiwan announced Tuesday that Lai was postponing his trip to Eswatini -- the island's only diplomatic ally in Africa -- after "Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly and without prior notice revoked the charter's overflight permits."

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Observers add the UAE appears to have lost military overflight permissions over Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

"There were irregularities concerning the overflight authorisations, which was regrettable, and we apologise for this unfortunate incident," Tuggar said on national TV.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

The last overflight before the Paris summit was assigned to Francis Gary Powers.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin