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Aviation glossary

Control tower

Also: tower, air traffic control tower, TWR

Airports

Air traffic control unit based at an airport that clears take-offs, landings and ground movements and handles traffic in the immediate vicinity.

What it is

From the top of the tower, controllers can see the runways and taxiways directly, supported by radar and, at larger airports, by surface surveillance systems. The work is usually split across several positions on separate frequencies: clearance delivery, which issues the approved route before start-up; ground, which directs aircraft to and from the runway; and tower, which clears take-offs and landings.

The tower handles only the aerodrome and its immediate surroundings. As an aircraft climbs away it is passed to approach control and then to area control centres, which handle flights en route and are usually located well away from the airport. At some quieter aerodromes, countries such as Sweden and Norway already provide the service from remote towers, using cameras and screens instead of windows.

Related terms

Air traffic controlThe service that keeps aircraft safely apart and orders traffic on the ground and in the air through clearances and instructions passed by radio. RunwayRectangular surface at an aerodrome prepared for aircraft to take off and land, identified by its magnetic orientation. TaxiwayPaved route linking the runways with the apron and other parts of an airport, along which aircraft move on the ground under their own power. TaxiingMovement of an aircraft on the ground under its own power between the apron and the runway, along taxiways and following instructions from ground control. FIRBlock of airspace of defined dimensions within which flight information and alerting services are provided, under the responsibility of a given state.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Control tower. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower

MLA

“Control tower.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Control tower.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Control tower. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_control_tower,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Control tower}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/control-tower |title=Control tower |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}

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