Definition
A flow control term used by air traffic control representing the time at which a specific aircraft is scheduled to land at the destination airport. It is the later of either the aircraft's estimated time of arrival or its meter fix time plus the en route time required to travel from the meter fix to the runway. The CLT is used to sequence arrivals and manage airport acceptance rates during periods of congestion.
Plain English
The exact time ATC has worked out that a particular aircraft will land. Controllers use this calculated time to space arrivals so the airport doesn't get overloaded.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control and traffic management discussions about arrival planning and runway flow.
Why Pilots Care
Helps pilots manage fuel reserves, coordinate with ground services, and comply with arrival slots or flow control.
Intuition Check
Do not read CLT as the pilot’s requested landing time or a guaranteed touchdown time. It is a calculated planning time used by the ATC system.
Example Sentence 1
Center advised us to slow to 280 knots to meet our CLT at the destination.
Example Sentence 2
Updating the flight plan with current winds changed the calculated landing time by ten minutes.