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

Saudi Arabia and Egypt denied UAE overflight permissions.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Those various African nations withdrew overflight permission following "intense pressure" from Beijing, one of Lai's closest advisers said at the time, forcing cancellation of the initially scheduled April 22-26 trip.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

Access, basing rights, overflight permissions, maintenance, refueling and logistics are the skeleton of military power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 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

South Korea’s safety rating was downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration, and Canadian officials informed Korean Air’s management that they were considering revoking the company’s overflight and landing privileges in Canadian airspace.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell