air-traffic control

American  

[air-traf-ik] / ˈɛərˌtræf ɪk /

noun

1. a government service that facilitates the safe and orderly movement of aircraft within and between airports by receiving and processing data from radar and devices that monitor local weather conditions and by maintaining radio contact with pilots.

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air-traffic control British  

noun

1. an organization that determines the altitude, speed, and direction at which planes fly in a given area, giving instructions to pilots by radio

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Other Word Forms

• air-traffic controller noun

Etymology

Origin of air-traffic control

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The announcement suggests only a fraction of the air-traffic control workforce stayed fully on the job during the shutdown.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state of the art air-traffic control system the American people deserve,” Duffy said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Flighty now pays for a wide variety of private and government flight data from around the world—live air-traffic control, historical performance, airline schedules, weather updates and whatever else can power its algorithms.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are signs that air-traffic controllers have already started returning to work: The number of alerts about staffing issues at air-traffic control sites has declined since the weekend, Duffy said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Because of air-traffic control staffing issues, airlines are required to cancel 4% of their flights at some airports today, a figure that rises to 10% by Friday.

From Barron's