Which ATC facility handles arrivals and departures to airports?

• A. Center
• B. Tower
• C. Approach
• D. Ground

Answer: (C)

Arrivals and departures to airports are managed by approach control. This facility sits between the en-route centers and the airport’s tower, coordinating aircraft as they move from high altitude toward the airport and from the airport out toward higher airspace. For arrivals, approach control sequences and guides airplanes from the en-route airspace onto the instrument approach path into the runway. For departures, it vectors aircraft away from the terminal area toward the en-route structure so they can climb and join their next airspace. The tower handles the runway operations and final clearance for takeoff and landing, while Center handles en-route, high-altitude traffic, and Ground manages surface taxiing.