What does TOWER control primarily handle?

TOWER control primarily handles the management of takeoffs and landings in the airspace immediately surrounding the airport. This function is crucial for maintaining safe and efficient operations during these critical phases of flight, where pilots require clear instructions and quick decision-making to ensure an orderly flow of aircraft in a busy environment.

The role of TOWER control includes providing clearances for aircraft to take off and land, guiding them to the appropriate runways, and ensuring that the airspace around the airport remains safe from potential conflicts with arriving and departing flights. This is particularly important in high-traffic situations where multiple aircraft may be trying to maneuver simultaneously.

While ground traffic management and coordination of flights between different airports are indeed important aspects of air traffic control, they fall under different specialized roles within the larger air traffic control framework. Ground control specifically focuses on aircraft on the taxiways and ramps, while en route controllers manage flights that are in transit, typically above 10,000 feet, but this is not the primary responsibility of TOWER control.