Definition
An automated air traffic control decision-support tool used by FAA traffic managers and controllers to sequence and meter arriving aircraft into busy airports. It calculates landing times, runway assignments, and required spacing, then provides controllers with the delay and timing information needed to deliver each aircraft to the runway in an orderly, efficient flow.
Plain English
A computer tool that helps controllers line up arriving aircraft so they reach a busy airport in the right order, with the right spacing, and at the right time.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym lists and in discussions of how air traffic control manages arrivals into busy airports.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces holding, fuel burn, and arrival delays by giving controllers better tools to sequence traffic.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Advisor” as a person giving advice to the pilot. In this context, it is an air traffic control computer tool that helps controllers plan traffic flow.
Example Sentence 1
Center issued a speed reduction because the Traffic Management Advisor was metering arrivals into Atlanta.
Example Sentence 2
TMA advised a two-minute spacing between the next three arrivals to keep the runway clear.