Plain English Meaning

The taxiway named 'D' at an airport. Pilots and controllers say 'Delta' instead of 'D' to avoid confusion on the radio.

Full Definition

The spoken and written identifier for a taxiway labeled with the letter 'D' at an airport. Taxiways are named using single letters (or letter combinations), and each letter is spoken using its ICAO phonetic equivalent — 'D' is spoken as 'Delta.' The taxiway is marked on the airfield by a yellow sign with a black letter 'D' and is shown as 'D' on airport diagrams.

Context Anchor

Seen on airport taxiway signs and markings, airport diagrams, and in ground control taxi instructions.

Derivation

The word 'Delta' is the ICAO phonetic alphabet word for the letter D. The phonetic alphabet was adopted internationally so that letters spoken the radio cannot be confused with similar- letters (B, C, D, E, T all sound alike when transmitted). 'Delta' replaces 'D' in all radio .