Definition
A specified location, identified by visual or other means, in the vicinity of which the position of an aircraft in flight is maintained in accordance with air traffic control clearances.
Plain English
A named spot in the sky where ATC tells you to wait by flying around it until they clear you to continue.
Context Anchor
Seen in international air traffic control and instrument flight procedures, especially when an aircraft must wait before continuing along its route or approach.
Derivation
The ICAO term 'holding point' refers to a point in the air, while in U.S. usage 'holding point' usually refers to a marked spot on a taxiway near a runway. Knowing the source (ICAO vs. FAA) tells you which meaning applies.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents runway incursions and ensures safe, orderly sequencing of departing and arriving traffic.
Intuition Check
Do not read holding point as just any convenient place to wait. In this ICAO meaning, it is a specified location where the aircraft keeps position because air traffic control has instructed or cleared it to do so.
Example Sentence 1
Under ICAO procedures, the controller instructed the crew to proceed to the holding point and maintain FL220 until further clearance.
Example Sentence 2
While at the holding point, the crew observed the landing traffic and waited for the next instruction from ground control.