Definition
An IFR clearance issued by clearance delivery before the pilot requests taxi, available at certain busy airports under a published pre-taxi clearance procedure. Participating pilots call clearance delivery no more than 10 minutes before proposed taxi to receive their full IFR route clearance, then call ground control for taxi when ready.
Plain English
At some busy airports, you can get your full IFR clearance from clearance delivery before you're ready to taxi. You call up, get the clearance, and then call ground when you're actually ready to move.
Context Anchor
You encounter this when contacting Clearance Delivery or Ground Control at a towered airport before taxiing for departure.
Derivation
"Pre-taxi" simply means "before taxi." The name describes when you get the clearance — before you start moving — rather than what the clearance contains.
Why Pilots Care
Reduces radio congestion on busy frequencies once the aircraft is moving and allows the pilot to focus on taxi and preflight tasks.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “pre-taxi clearance” means you are cleared to taxi. It means you received flight or departure instructions before taxi; you still need permission to move.
Example Sentence 1
Ten minutes before push, the captain called clearance delivery for a pre-taxi clearance and copied the full IFR route while the first officer finished the cockpit setup.
Example Sentence 2
At large airports the pre-taxi clearance is often sent by datalink to keep voice frequency use low.