Definition
A direction of flight or travel toward the west. Used in flight planning, route descriptions, and traffic separation rules to indicate aircraft heading generally between 180° and 359° on the compass.
Plain English
Going west. The aircraft is flying in a westerly direction.
Context Anchor
Seen in NOTAM contractions, route descriptions, airport movement instructions, and traffic advisories where space is limited.
Derivation
From 'west' (the direction where the sun sets) plus 'bound,' an old English word meaning 'headed toward' or 'going to.' So 'westbound' simply means 'headed west.'
Why Pilots Care
Allows quick recognition of directional information in weather, routing, and advisory messages.
Intuition Check
Westbound does not mean “located west of you.” It means moving or intended to move toward the west.
Example Sentence 1
The westbound traffic was assigned an even cruising altitude of 8,000 feet.
Example Sentence 2
A NOTAM listed WB traffic restrictions due to military activity.