Definition
A controller display tool used in air traffic management that presents arriving or departing aircraft along a visual timeline, showing each aircraft's predicted sequence and time at a key reference point such as a runway threshold or metering fix. Controllers use the timeline to assess spacing, identify conflicts in flow, and apply speed or vector adjustments to deliver aircraft in an orderly sequence.
Plain English
A screen that shows controllers a moving timeline of aircraft, with each flight placed on the line according to when it is expected to arrive at a chosen point. It helps controllers see the order of traffic and decide who needs to slow down, speed up, or be moved to fit the flow.
Context Anchor
Pilots may see this term in FAA traffic management material, not as a cockpit control or normal pilot display.
Derivation
Timeline reflects the linear, time-based layout of the display. Graphical User Interface is the standard computing term for a visual, interactive screen — as opposed to a text-only readout. Together it signals a tool that turns timing data into a picture controllers can read at a glance.
Why Pilots Care
Speed adjustments, holding, or path-stretching instructions a pilot receives during arrival are often driven by what the controller sees on the TGUI. Knowing the tool exists helps pilots understand why a small speed change well out from the airport can be important to the wider flow.
Intuition Check
Do not read TGUI as a pilot-facing app or cockpit screen. In this context, it is an air traffic control tool used to manage timing and spacing of aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
The arrival controller used the TGUI to identify a tight spacing conflict and issued a 20-knot speed reduction to the trailing aircraft.
Example Sentence 2
During the briefing the captain scrolled through the TGUI to see how a delay would shift the rest of the day’s timeline.