Definition
A data link service that delivers IFR departure clearances from air traffic control to the flight deck as a text message rather than over voice radio. The pilot reviews the clearance on a cockpit display and sends an electronic acknowledgment back to ATC. DCL is provided through CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) at participating airports.
Plain English
A way of receiving your IFR departure clearance as a written message in the cockpit instead of writing it down while a controller reads it over the radio.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter DCL before departure at airports and in aircraft equipped to use electronic clearance delivery.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces radio congestion, provides a written record of the clearance, and speeds up the departure process.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Application” here as a phone app or as applying for permission. In this term, it means an electronic service or function used to send and receive a departure clearance.
Example Sentence 1
Before taxi, the crew requested their clearance via DCL and received the full route as a text message on the cockpit display.
Example Sentence 2
After loading the DCL clearance, the pilot reviewed the assigned route and altitude before calling for pushback.