Definition
A defined block of time during which a flight is permitted to arrive at, or depart from, a specific airport. ADWs are used in air traffic flow management to balance airport capacity against demand, particularly when traffic levels approach or exceed what an airport can safely handle.
Plain English
A scheduled time slot when a flight is allowed to arrive at or leave a specific airport. Air traffic managers use these slots to prevent the airport from getting more flights than it can handle at once.
Context Anchor
You may see ADW in traffic-management messages, flight planning coordination, or during operations at busy airports where arrivals and departures must be carefully timed.
Derivation
“Window” is used here in the everyday sense of a limited opening in time. In aviation, the phrase means a time opening for an arrival or departure, not a physical window on the aircraft.
Why Pilots Care
Meeting the assigned window keeps airport capacity balanced, reduces holding time, and prevents cascading delays for the entire traffic sequence.
Intuition Check
ADW does not mean a cockpit window or a casual guess at timing. It means a specific time block used to manage when flights arrive or depart.
Example Sentence 1
Dispatch advised the crew that their ADW into Newark was 1430 to 1445, so they pushed back early to make the slot.
Example Sentence 2
By slowing down en route the crew was able to hit their assigned ADW without entering a hold.