Plain English Meaning

A heads-up from the aircraft's collision avoidance system that another aircraft is getting close. It is a warning, not an instruction to maneuver — the pilots should look for the traffic and be ready to act if the system escalates the alert.

Full Definition

A Traffic Advisory is an alert issued by an aircraft's Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) when another aircraft (the intruder) is approaching closely enough to warrant the pilot's attention, but is not yet considered an immediate collision threat. The TA notifies the crew of the intruder's range, relative altitude, and bearing so they can visually acquire the traffic and prepare for a possible Resolution Advisory (RA) if the worsens. A TA is announced aurally with 'Traffic, Traffic' and shown visually on the .