Definition
An air traffic control tower that is staffed and actively providing control services to aircraft operating at the airport. It is the active, working tower as distinct from a tower that exists at the airport but is closed, decommissioned, or not currently in service.
Plain English
A control tower at an airport that is open and currently working — with controllers on duty talking to aircraft and managing traffic.
Context Anchor
Seen in Class C airspace descriptions, where the airport must have a working control tower as part of the airspace setup.
Derivation
‘Operational’ comes from Latin opus, meaning ‘work.’ Here it simply means ‘in operation’ — actively running. The phrase distinguishes a tower that is currently doing its job from one that is physically present but not staffed or active.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether the airspace around the airport is classified as Class C and what radio and procedural requirements apply.
Intuition Check
Do not assume a tower building means an operational control tower. In this context, operational means the tower is open and actively providing control service.
Example Sentence 1
Class C airspace requires an operational control tower, so once the tower closes for the night, the airspace reverts to Class E.
Example Sentence 2
Before entering the area, the pilot confirmed the tower was operational and contacted approach control.