Definition
An ICAO term referring to air traffic control service provided by using information derived from sources other than radar, such as pilot position reports made over radio.
Plain English
It's the kind of air traffic control used when controllers do not have radar to see where aircraft are. Instead, they rely on what pilots tell them by radio about their position, altitude, and time over points along the route.
Context Anchor
Seen in international ATC and glossary material, especially when comparing radar-based control with non-radar control.
Derivation
From Latin 'procedere' (to go forward, proceed). 'Procedural' here means the controller works by following set procedures and pilot reports rather than watching aircraft directly on a radar screen.
Why Pilots Care
Maintains safe aircraft separation where radar coverage does not exist, directly affecting route planning and position reporting requirements.
Grounding Statement
Picture a controller separating aircraft by using pilot reports and planned timing instead of watching moving targets on a screen.
Intuition Check
Do not read “procedural” as meaning less official or less controlled. Here it means ATC is using approved procedures and reports instead of relying on radar or similar live tracking.
Example Sentence 1
Once we crossed the coast and entered oceanic airspace, we were under procedural control and had to make position reports at each waypoint.
Example Sentence 2
Over the ocean the crew flew under procedural control, maintaining the assigned separation from other traffic by time and altitude.