Definition
A formal air traffic management plan used by the FAA to reroute flights around areas of forecast or active severe weather, such as thunderstorm lines or large convective systems. SWAP procedures coordinate traffic flow on a regional or national scale to keep aircraft clear of hazardous weather while maintaining an orderly system.
Plain English
It is a pre-arranged plan air traffic control uses to send airplanes around big storms instead of through them, so traffic keeps moving safely.
Context Anchor
You may see or hear this term in traffic advisories, route changes, delay notices, or flight planning when strong weather affects busy airspace.
Why Pilots Care
When a SWAP is in effect, pilots and dispatchers can expect reroutes, ground delays, or longer flight paths. Knowing a SWAP is active helps you anticipate clearance changes, plan extra fuel, and avoid surprise when ATC issues a different route than filed.
Analogy
It is like a highway detour plan during a major storm: traffic is not stopped completely if there is a safe way around, but everyone may need to follow a different route.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just a pilot’s personal plan to stay away from weather. In this context, it means an organized air traffic control plan for handling many aircraft around severe weather.
Example Sentence 1
Dispatch warned us a Severe Weather Avoidance Plan was in effect for the Northeast, so we loaded extra fuel for the longer reroute.
Example Sentence 2
During the thunderstorm outbreak, the Severe Weather Avoidance Plan kept all departures on safe corridors.