To ensure the safety of air traffic both on the ground and in the air, aircraft and other vehicles must remain at a sufficient distance from each other. Air traffic control is responsible for separation on the ground and in the air.
At airports, air traffic control separates traffic in the manoeuvring area. This is the part of the airport grounds designated for aircraft take-off, landing and taxiing, with the exception of the aprons. The boundary between the manoeuvring area and the aprons is marked with red lines.
The horizontal or vertical distance between aircraft during flight is referred to as separation. The minimum separation is intended to ensure the safety of air traffic while making optimal use of airspace capacity. Separation minima create buffers that reduce the risk of collision.
Air traffic control is responsible for maintaining the minimum separation between commercial aircraft in their air traffic control area. Air traffic controllers give aircraft crews course, altitude and/or speed instructions to ensure that these minima are not exceeded.
In some situations, deviating rules apply to separation. You can read about these situations and what separation looks like in these cases below.