Definition
An air traffic management measure in which departing aircraft bound for a specific destination are held on the ground at their origin airport, rather than being allowed to depart on schedule, because the destination airport cannot accept the normal arrival rate. Ground delays are issued when conditions such as weather, runway closures, or reduced capacity would otherwise cause aircraft to hold in the air near the destination.
Plain English
When the destination airport can't handle all the arrivals on time, ATC keeps your flight on the ground at the departure airport instead of letting you take off and circle in the air later.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter ground delays before departure, often while waiting at the gate, on the ramp, or before taxiing for takeoff.
Why Pilots Care
It directly changes departure time, fuel requirements, and crew duty limits; failing to account for it can lead to airborne holding or diversion.
Intuition Check
Ground delay does not mean every delay that happens while an airplane is on the ground. In aviation use, it usually means a planned or assigned hold before departure to manage traffic, weather, or capacity.
Example Sentence 1
We picked up a two-hour ground delay because thunderstorms were reducing the arrival rate at our destination.
Example Sentence 2
Before filing the IFR flight plan the dispatcher checked for any active ground delays at the arrival airport.