Definition
An ICAO term for the act of passing responsibility for providing air traffic control service to an aircraft from one controller or control unit to another.
Plain English
It is the moment one controller hands an aircraft over to the next controller, and that next controller becomes the one giving instructions to the pilot.
Context Anchor
You may encounter this term in air traffic control procedures, especially during handoffs between tower, departure, center, approach, or between control units in different regions.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots need to know exactly when responsibility changes so they contact the correct controller and follow the proper procedures without interruption.
Intuition Check
Do not read “control” here as physical control of the airplane. The pilot still flies the aircraft; the transfer is about which air traffic controller or control unit is responsible for providing ATC service.
Example Sentence 1
At the boundary between sectors, transfer of control took place and the pilot was instructed to contact the next centre on a new frequency.
Example Sentence 2
During the transfer of control the receiving unit confirmed radar contact with the aircraft.