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Aviation glossary

Alternate airport

Also: alternate, alternate aerodrome, diversion airport

Airports

Airport to which an aircraft can proceed if landing at the intended destination becomes impossible or inadvisable, specified in the flight plan.

What it is

When planning a flight, the airline normally nominates at least one destination alternate and carries enough fuel to reach the destination, attempt a landing, divert to the alternate and still hold a final reserve, which for jet aircraft corresponds to about 30 minutes of holding. The alternate must have an acceptable weather forecast and suitable facilities for the aircraft type.

There are several kinds: the destination alternate; the take-off alternate, used when the departure airport would not allow an early return to land; and en-route alternates, essential for long-range twin-engine flights over oceans or remote regions. Choosing an alternate that is close by but has different weather from the destination reduces the fuel required and widens the crew's options.

Related terms

DiversionA decision to land at an airport other than the planned destination, because of bad weather, a runway closure, a medical emergency on board or a technical problem. Flight planDetails of a flight filed with air traffic services before departure: aircraft, route, level, speed, estimated times, destination and alternate airports. ETOPSRules that let twin-engine aircraft fly routes far from suitable diversion airports, up to a maximum one-engine flying time approved for each aircraft type and airline. Holding patternA racetrack-shaped path that an aircraft flies over a fixed point while waiting for clearance to continue, usually because of congestion or bad weather. ILS categoriesClassification of ILS approaches by minimum decision height and visibility, from CAT I to CAT III, which allows aircraft to land in dense fog.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Alternate airport. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport

MLA

“Alternate airport.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Alternate airport.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Alternate airport. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_alternate_airport,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Alternate airport}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/alternate-airport |title=Alternate airport |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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