Definition
A specific fix or geographic point used by Air Traffic Control's Time Based Flow Management (TBFM) system as the location at which an aircraft's arrival time is calculated and metered. ATC issues speed adjustments, vectors, or holding so that the aircraft crosses the Meter Reference Point at an assigned time, which in turn sequences the flow of arrivals to a runway or other constrained resource.
Plain English
A set point along an arrival route where ATC plans for your aircraft to be at a specific time. By controlling when you cross that point, controllers can space all the arriving traffic into a smooth, orderly stream.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control and traffic-flow management discussions, especially when arrival traffic is being timed into a busy airport or area.
Derivation
Meter here comes from the idea of metering — controlling the flow of something, like a meter on a pipeline letting fluid through at a measured rate. The Meter Reference Point is the place where ATC measures and adjusts the flow of arriving aircraft.
Why Pilots Care
When metering is in use, ATC may issue speed changes or path stretches well before the destination so the aircraft arrives at the MRP at the correct time. Knowing this helps pilots understand why instructions like 'slow to 280 knots' or 'expect a delay vector' are issued early in the descent — they are tied to the metered crossing time.
Intuition Check
Do not read “meter” here as a length measurement or cockpit gauge. Here, “meter” means to regulate the flow of aircraft by timing them through known points.
Example Sentence 1
Center advised the crew to slow to 290 knots to meet their assigned crossing time at the meter reference point.
Example Sentence 2
When the chart showed an MRP near the airport, the crew converted the meter reference directly into their altimeter setting for the approach.