Definition
The minimum visibility, runway visual range, and/or ceiling values prescribed for landing a civil aircraft while using an instrument approach procedure. The specific minimums for a given approach are published on the instrument approach chart and depend on the type of approach, the aircraft category, and the equipment in use.
Plain English
The lowest weather conditions — how far you can see and how low the clouds are — that legally allow you to continue an instrument approach down to landing. If conditions are worse than these limits, you can't land from that approach.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts and used during arrival planning, approach briefings, and the final part of an instrument approach.
Derivation
“Minimum” comes from the Latin “minimus,” meaning “smallest” or “least.” That fits the aviation use: landing minimums are the least conditions allowed, not the preferred or safest conditions for every pilot.
Why Pilots Care
Landing minimums set the legal safety threshold that prevents continuing an approach in conditions where visual references are insufficient for a safe landing.
Intuition Check
Do not read “minimums” as a personal comfort level or a recommendation. Here it means a published legal and operational limit for that approach.
Example Sentence 1
The reported visibility dropped to half a mile, which was below the landing minimums for the ILS, so the crew flew the missed approach.
Example Sentence 2
With visibility reported below the published landing minimums, the crew initiated a missed approach at the decision altitude.