Definition
The published network of established air routes (Victor airways below 18,000 feet MSL and Jet routes from 18,000 feet MSL up to FL450) defined by VOR radials or RNAV waypoints, used for IFR navigation between fixes and airports.
Plain English
The system of pre-defined highways in the sky that IFR aircraft fly along. Each route is drawn between navigation points and shown on charts, so pilots and controllers always know where the traffic is going.
Context Anchor
Seen in missed approach and instrument flight planning discussions, especially when a pilot must leave the missed approach path and continue toward another route or airport.
Derivation
Airway combines air with way (a path or route). Structure here means an organized framework. Together it describes the organized framework of air routes — not a physical thing, but a charted system pilots and controllers share.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the airway structure helps pilots select safe routing options and understand connectivity after a missed approach.
Intuition Check
Airway structure does not mean a building, framework, or physical lane in the air. It means the published route network used for instrument navigation.
Example Sentence 1
After the missed approach, the controller cleared us to rejoin the airway structure at the nearest VOR.
Example Sentence 2
The airway structure connects major airports with defined routes that pilots follow during instrument flight.