Definition
A situation in which the projected paths of two or more aircraft, or an aircraft and another object, would result in a loss of required separation if no corrective action is taken.
Plain English
When two aircraft (or an aircraft and something else) are heading in a way that brings them too close together unless someone changes course, speed, or altitude.
Context Anchor
In a rejected takeoff or engine-failure discussion, this may come up when a pilot must decide whether stopping, continuing, turning, or landing ahead could put the airplane into the path of other traffic.
Derivation
Conflict comes from the Latin confligere, meaning 'to strike together.' In air traffic, it carries the same idea -- two paths that would 'strike together' if left alone.
Why Pilots Care
Unresolved air traffic conflicts can lead to mid-air collision or forced evasive maneuvers that compromise safety during critical phases like takeoff.
Intuition Check
Do not read “conflict” here as an argument or a scheduling problem. In aviation, an air traffic conflict means aircraft paths may come too close for safety.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot rejected the takeoff after the tower called an air traffic conflict with an aircraft taxiing across the runway.
Example Sentence 2
Air traffic control issued a turn to resolve the air traffic conflict before the two aircraft entered the same airspace.