ATC Phone Numbers Now in ForeFlight

On June 20, 2019, FAA began publishing telephone numbers that pilots can use to call ATC for IFR clearances and cancelations (see FAA Completes ATC Phone Number Plan). The numbers appear in the airport listings in the Chart Supplement.

Leidos FSS has posted ARTCC clearance/cancelation phone numbers on its website, here.

If you use ForeFlight, you can also find those ATC numbers in the airport listings. As the screen capture below shows, the information is on the Frequencies tab. The number will be either to an approach control facility or an enroute traffic control center, depending on which facility controls the airspace overlying the airport.

Update on ATC Phone Numbers and IFR Clearances

FAA continues to publish ATC telephone numbers for pilots who need to get an IFR clearance or close an IFR flight plan at non-towered airports (background here at BruceAir).

Leidos FSS has posted ARTCC clearance/cancelation phone numbers on its website, here.

Note that FAA is testing a system that would allow pilots to receive ATC clearances on mobile devices. For more information, see this article at AOPA.

An FAA representative briefed (full presentation here) the April 25-26, 2018 meeting of the Aeronautical Charting Forum (complete meeting minutes here).

Highlights:

• Chart Supplement (A/FD) entries for 656 airports have been updated with clearance delivery phone numbers.
• 25 additional approach control facilities will participate in the program; the Chart Supplement entries for over 200 additional airports will be updated to include a clearance delivery phone number.
• For all other uncontrolled airports without a GCO or radio outlet linking them to ATC or Flight Service, pilots will be able to obtain a clearance by calling the overlying ARTCC.

The September 2018 update to the AIM will include the following paragraph:

5-2-3. TAXI CLEARANCE
a. Pilots departing on an IFR flight plan should consult the Chart Supplement US airport/facility directory to determine the frequency or telephone number to use to contact clearance delivery. On initial contact pilots should advise the flight is IFR and state the destination airport.

Update on ATC Phone Numbers for IFR Clearances/Cancellations

At the October 2017 meeting of the Aeronautical Charting Forum, the FAA provided an update (PDF) on its efforts to provide direct telephone numbers to ATC facilities so that pilots can receive IFR clearances and cancel IFR at non-towered airports directly with ATC rather than relay those notifications through FSS or other means.

The presentation notes that:

• ATC phone numbers for 656 airports have been entered into the national airport database and published in the Chart Supplement.
• Over 200 additional airports will have their Chart Supplement entries updated to include a clearance delivery phone number.
• For all other uncontrolled airports without a GCO or radio outlet linking them to ATC or Flight Service, pilots will be able to obtain a clearance by calling the overlying ARTCC through a published phone number to that Center’s Flight Data Unit (FDU).

An update to AIM 5-2-3 Taxi Clearance is also in the works. The proposed language would read as follows:

a. Pilots departing on an IFR flight plan should consult the Chart Supplement US airport/facility directory to determine the frequency or telephone number to use to contact clearance delivery. On initial contact pilots should advise the flight is IFR and state the destination airport.

b. Air traffic facilities providing clearance delivery services via telephone will have their telephone number published in the communication remarks section of that airport’s directory entry. This same remarks section may also contain a telephone number to use for cancellation of an IFR flight plan after landing. Pilots are encouraged to use these telephone numbers at uncontrolled airports when they are published. Pilots may also contact Flight Service’s dedicated clearance delivery hotline (1-888-766-8267).

FAA also plans to move telephone relay of IFR clearance from FSS to ATC:

Preliminary agreement has been reached with Air Traffic and the Bargaining Units to move the telephone relay of all remaining IFR Clearance functions from Flight Service over to Air Traffic.

ATC Telephone Numbers for IFR Clearances

The FAA has announced that it will publish telephone numbers for some ATC facilities that provide IFR clearances and cancellations of IFR flight plans via the phone in the Chart Supplement (formerly known as the A/FD). FAA planned to begin implementation of the change on October 1, 2016 and complete the process by June 30, 2017.

For an update on the plans to publish ATC phone numbers, see the latest information here.

The basic information was provided in a recommendation document (ACF-CG RD 16-020309) at the Aeronautical Charting Forum, which reads in part:

Subject: Publication of approach control phone numbers for purposes of Clearance
Delivery and/or IFR flight plan cancellation.

Background/Discussion: In accordance with the Administrator’s NAS Efficient Streamlined Services Initiative Air Traffic, Flight Service, and NATCA have agreed that air traffic facilities currently providing clearances to pilots via telephone (informally) will have their numbers published in the appropriate Chart Supplement, US. These same facilities will have the option to have a separate phone line installed for IFR flight plan cancellations, which will also be published. The attached Policy Decision Memorandum identifies the affected 32 Air Traffic facilities and reflects approval by VP System Operations, VP Air Traffic Services, and VP Technical Operations. Also attached are the Scoping Document Workgroup Agreement, Safety Risk Management Document, and Implementation Plan.

Recommendations: Publish the approach control phone numbers for Clearance Delivery and/or IFR flight plan cancellation in the Chart Supplement US, for example:

For CLNC DEL CTC BOSTON APCH (603) 594-5551

And, when available, for those facilities with the IFR cancellation line

To CANCEL IFR CTC BOSTON APCH (603) 594-5552

The official FAA memoranda that describe the details are attached to the recommendation documented linked above.

The list of TRACONs and towers (subject to revision) that will issue clearances directly to pilots via telephone includes:

1. A90 -Boston
2. C90 – Chicago
3. Dl O -Dallas-Fort Worth
4. D21 – Detroit
5. F 11 – Central Florida
6. 190 – Houston
7. L30 – Las Vegas
8. M03 – Memphis
9. N90 -New York
10. NCT -Northem California
11. P80 – Portland
12. R90 – Omaha
13. S46 – Seattle
14. S56 – Salt Lake
15. T75 – Louis
16. U90 -Tucson
17. Y90 – Yankee
18. ABE – Allentown, PA
19. AUS -Austin, TX
20. AVP – Scranton, PA
21. ENA -Nashville, TN
22. CLT – Charlotte,NC
23. CRP – Corpus Christie, TX
24. DAB -Daytona, FL
25. IND – Indianapolis, IN
26. MCI -Kansas City, MO
27. MDT -Harrisburg, PA
28. MSY -New Orleans, LA
29. ORF -Norfolk, VA
30. PHL – Philadelphia, PA
31. SAT – San Antonia, TX
32. PCT – Potomac, VA

Confused about “Climb Via” and “Descend Via” Clearances?

FAA has published a Q&A on this relatively new type of clearance associated with SIDs and STARs.

I wrote about these clearances when the “climb via” version was announced in 2012. Details here.

You can find additional information from NBAA here.