FAQs

What is Aviation English?

Aviation English is a type of English for specific purposes, in this case English used by aviation professionals such as pilots and air traffic controllers.

The need for English to be standardised amongst the Aviation community lead to the proposal of an ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale and tests have been developed to ensure that aviation professionals working internationally can achieve at least Level 4.

In 2003, ICAO set a deadline of March 2008 for English language proficiency at Level 4 and above for all pilots flying international routes and air traffic controllers serving international airports and routes. For States which were not able to meet the March 2008 deadline, full implementation was to be completed by March 2011.

Why is English used in Aviation?

Historically, insufficient English language proficiency on the part of the pilots or controllers has contributed to a number of accidents and serious incidents and so it is not surprising that recommendations have been introduced to ensure that all pilots and air traffic controllers working internationally can speak English to a specified standard.

In 1951, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended that English be universally used for "international aeronautical radiotelephony communications." However, ICAO can only make recommendations and it is actually up to the Aviation Authority for each individual country around the world to make the rules.

For more information, see this article from the Simply Flying website.

What is the Aviation Alphabet?

Members of the aviation professions need to learn a special type of alphabet in order to communicate. This is known as the aviation alphabet or the ICAO International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It is used by pilots, air traffic controllers, and the military, among others, to correctly issue instructions.

ICAO created this special Alphabet to ensure that individual letters are properly pronounced and understood by air traffic controllers and pilots around the world, regardless of their native language and regional accents. This is to avoid mistakes caused by letters and numbers that sound similar, such as M and N or B and D which are easy to mistake for each other. Communication can be even harder if there is static or interference on the radio when communicating between the cockpit and the tower.

What is ICAO?

The International Civil Aviation Organization was established in 1944 by the Chicago Convention and is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its headquarters is located in Montreal, Canada.

There are 193 members of ICAO made up of nations from around the world. ICAO works with the Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector.

Find out more about ICAO from their website.

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