Definition
Published IFR routes that extend from 1,200 feet above the surface up to, but not including, 18,000 feet MSL. In the contiguous United States, these are called Victor airways and are based on VOR navigation aids; they are designated with the letter V followed by a number (for example, V23). In Alaska and Hawaii, low altitude airways may also include T-routes, which are based on GPS.
Plain English
These are the lower-level highways in the sky that pilots fly along when using instrument flight rules below 18,000 feet. They connect navigation stations on the ground and have names like 'V23' on the chart.
Context Anchor
Seen on low-altitude en route charts, during instrument flight planning, and in air traffic control clearances for flights below the high-altitude route structure.
Derivation
Airway combines air and way, meaning a path through the air. In aviation, it came to mean a published route pilots can follow, much like a highway is a published path on the ground.
Why Pilots Care
They provide reliable navigation guidance and protected airspace for instrument flights below 18,000 feet.
Intuition Check
Low altitude does not mean close to the ground. Here it means part of the lower instrument-route system, generally below 18,000 feet above mean sea level. Airways are not physical lanes; they are published chart routes with defined courses and altitudes.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot filed an IFR flight plan along low altitude airway V23 from the departure VOR to the destination.
Example Sentence 2
During preflight the crew reviewed the low altitude airways available between the two airports.