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Aviation glossary

Go-around

Also: missed approach, aborted landing, baulked landing, TOGA

Operations and flight

A manoeuvre in which the pilot abandons an approach or landing, applies power and climbs away to try again or to head for another airport.

What it is

A go-around is a normal, well-practised manoeuvre, not an emergency. It is flown when the approach is not stabilised, the runway is not clear, the wind changes suddenly or the runway is not in sight at decision height. The pilot advances the thrust levers to take-off/go-around thrust (TOGA), raises the nose, retracts one stage of flap and raises the gear once the aircraft is climbing.

Every published approach includes a missed approach procedure setting out the track and altitude to climb to. Air traffic control then sequences the aircraft for another attempt or, if the problem persists, the crew may divert to its alternate airport.

For passengers it feels like a sudden climb with a roar from the engines, but airlines encourage crews to go around without hesitation, as it is one of the decisions that best protects an arrival. It happens on a small fraction of approaches, typically a few in every thousand.

Related terms

ApproachThe phase of flight in which the aircraft lines up with the runway and descends along a defined path to the point where the crew decides to land or go around. LandingThe final phase of flight in which the aircraft crosses the runway threshold, touches down on its main gear and slows to taxi speed. Alternate airportAirport to which an aircraft can proceed if landing at the intended destination becomes impossible or inadvisable, specified in the flight plan. 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. 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

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Go-around. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/go-around

MLA

“Go-around.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/go-around. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Go-around.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/go-around.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Go-around. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/go-around (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

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

Wikipedia

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

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