Definition
The provision of current, routine information to arriving and departing aircraft by means of continuous and repetitive broadcasts throughout the day or a specified portion of the day. ATIS broadcasts contain essential but routine information such as active runways, weather conditions, NOTAMs, and other items that pilots need before contacting approach, tower, or ground.
Plain English
A non-stop recorded radio broadcast at busy airports that gives pilots the current weather, runways in use, and other routine details, so controllers don't have to repeat the same information to every aircraft.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter this before taxi, before takeoff, during arrival planning, or when approaching an airport with controlled traffic services.
Derivation
Automatic (it plays on a loop without a controller speaking each time), Terminal (the area around an airport), Information Service (a service that provides information). The ICAO label means this is the internationally agreed wording, used the same way in member countries worldwide.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to obtain current airport information before initial radio contact, reducing frequency congestion and improving situational awareness.
Grounding Statement
Think of it as the airport’s current conditions message, available before you talk to the controller.
Intuition Check
Do not read terminal as the passenger terminal building here. In this term, terminal means the airport operating area used by arriving and departing aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Before contacting approach, the pilot tuned to 124.0 and copied ATIS information Delta.
Example Sentence 2
After the Automatic Terminal Information Service updated, the pilot noted the new altimeter setting and wind information.