Definition
Common shorthand for Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), the FAA facilities that provide air traffic control services to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace, principally during the en route phase of flight between departure and destination terminal areas.
Plain English
The large FAA facilities that handle IFR traffic while it's cruising between airports, after it leaves the departure area and before it arrives at the destination area.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument procedure and air traffic control discussions when a flight is being handled beyond the immediate airport or approach control area.
Derivation
Center comes from a word meaning the middle point of something. In aviation, a Center is not just a middle location; it is a control facility responsible for a large region of airspace.
Why Pilots Care
Center is who you talk to for most of an IFR cruise. Knowing that 'Center' refers to the en route ARTCC -- not approach control or tower -- helps a pilot anticipate handoffs and the type of service being provided at each phase of flight.
Analogy
Think of Centers like regional control rooms. A local tower handles the airport area, while a Center helps manage aircraft across a much larger region.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Centers” here as ordinary middle points or building locations. In this FAA context, Centers means air traffic control facilities responsible for large areas of airspace.
Example Sentence 1
After departure, the controller handed us off to Center for the cruise portion of the flight.
Example Sentence 2
After leaving the terminal area, the aircraft was handed off to Center for the rest of the flight.