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

See Examples For:

air-traffic control

Federal aviation officials are planning to move air-traffic control antennas and implement new procedures to avoid a repeat of last week’s safety incident with Marine One near a busy Washington, D.C., airport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Marine One incident also prompted air-traffic control to order an arriving flight—an American Airlines regional flight from Raleigh-Durham, N.C.—to go around and redo its approach, according to the FAA review.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Letting the space industry move faster by cutting down on environmental analysis could put pressure on other parts of the FAA, namely its air-traffic control arm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Two years ago, the FAA shifted air-traffic control oversight of Newark to a Philadelphia facility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Since arriving late last week, U.S. military personnel have repaired and certified one runway at Caracas’s main international airport after both runways were damaged and part of the air-traffic control tower collapsed, U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026