Definition
The order in which aircraft are positioned by air traffic control while on approach or awaiting approach clearance to land at an airport.
Plain English
The line-up of arriving aircraft, in the order ATC wants them to land.
Context Anchor
You may hear or see this term when air traffic control is arranging several aircraft to arrive at the same airport safely and in an orderly flow.
Derivation
‘Sequence’ comes from the Latin sequi, meaning ‘to follow.’ The approach sequence is simply the order in which arriving aircraft follow each other onto the runway.
Why Pilots Care
Directly affects arrival spacing, fuel planning, and the risk of go-arounds due to traffic conflicts.
Intuition Check
Do not read “sequence” as just a loose series of events. In this context, it means a controlled order assigned or managed so aircraft arrive without conflict.
Example Sentence 1
Tower advised us we were number two in the approach sequence, behind a Bonanza on a three-mile final.
Example Sentence 2
With weather delays, ATC lengthened the approach sequence to preserve wake turbulence separation.