air traffic control

noun

: the process or system by which the movements of aircraft are monitored and directed by ground personnel communicating with pilots by radio
improving the technology used for air traffic control
also : the personnel who operate an air traffic control system
Pilots would still have to file flight plans, which could be modified by air traffic control if they posed any safety hazards. David R. Hinson

Examples of air traffic control in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The airline hasn’t been a stranger to disruption this year, after multiple air traffic control communications outages impacted its massive operations at Newark Liberty International Airport . Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025 The disruption marked the second outage for controllers at the Philadelphia air traffic control center, which manages Newark's airspace, within 24 hours. Doc Louallen, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025 The Case For Digital Traceability Of Supply Chains Think of digital traceability as air traffic control for supply chains. Florent Bouguin, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025 After a devastating midair collision above the Grand Canyon in 1956 that killed everyone aboard two airliners, the United States poured a quarter-billion dollars, an enormous sum for the time, into upgrading air traffic control. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for air traffic control

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of air traffic control was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Air traffic control.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20traffic%20control. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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