air traffic
Americannoun
noun
-
the organized movement of aircraft within a given space
-
the passengers, cargo, or mail carried by aircraft
Etymology
Origin of air traffic
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The flight is understood to have missed its air traffic control slot and departed an hour late after the missing passengers' bags were unloaded.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
Shortly before landing at LAX around 2:40 p.m. on Sunday, a military transport Gulfstream jet pilot told air traffic controllers that they “just had a potential skydiver around 4,000 feet,” per audio from ATC.com.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
"This test was not within the scope of FAA licensed activities," the agency said, adding that there was no impact to air traffic.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Qatar Airways posted lower annual profit after war in the Middle East disrupted air traffic, but the state-owned group said it was rebuilding its global schedule as regional mediators work to end the conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
When push comes to shove, Americans fall back on their American-ness, and that American-ness means that the air traffic controller is thought of as an equal.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
