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

Jose Rodriguez, then a pilot for the regional airline Silver Airways, reported to air-traffic control “seeing pieces of debris and intense fire between the 1 and 2 o’clock position” while operating a flight to San Juan, according to an FAA report.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chris Dickinson was stunned after he took an impromptu tour of an air-traffic control tower in Sydney, Australia.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s absolutely disgusting how much better their lifestyles are than ours,” said Dickinson, who worked air-traffic control in the U.S. for 13 years and visited the Sydney tower on a trip two years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

Parsons’ stock slid after losing a bid to update America’s air-traffic control system.

From Barron's

Privately held Peraton won the bid for the air-traffic control system modernization, which included $12.5 billion in funding.

From Barron's