Definition
An Information Request (INREQ) is a message issued by an air traffic facility to other facilities and stations along an aircraft's route asking for information about the aircraft when communication or position reports have not been received as expected. It is the first formal step in the overdue aircraft search procedure, used to determine whether the aircraft has been heard from before declaring it missing.
Plain English
When controllers lose track of an aircraft because it has gone quiet or hasn't checked in on time, they send out a message to other facilities asking, 'Has anyone heard from this aircraft?' That message is called an Information Request.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA search-and-rescue and overdue-aircraft procedures, especially when a VFR flight has not arrived or reported as expected.
Why Pilots Care
Prompt response helps locate an overdue aircraft quickly and improves safety outcomes.
Intuition Check
Do not read Information Request as any ordinary request for facts. In this FAA use, it is a specific overdue-aircraft inquiry started by Flight Service.
Example Sentence 1
When the aircraft failed to report over the next fix, the controller initiated an Information Request to nearby facilities.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots receiving an Information Request should provide any known position or time information immediately.