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

Musk's aerospace company SpaceX has valuable contracts with NASA, and its satellite internet division Starlink could take over a contract to modernize the air traffic control system, the Associated Press reports. —Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday confirmed a famous aerobatic pilot who fatally crashed at Langley Air Force Base was in touch with the air traffic control tower prior to the tragedy. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025

There was already a lack of investment in airport infrastructure and air traffic control, as well as poor working conditions for air traffic controllers, which led to strikes and work-to-rule protests. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025

The crisis was caused by a lack of investment in airport infrastructure and air traffic control—the result of years of budget cuts—and by low wages and poor working conditions for air traffic controllers. —Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for air traffic control

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole