control tower

noun

a glass-enclosed, elevated structure for the visual observation and control of the air and ground traffic at an airport.

Also called tower.

Origin

1915-20

Examples from the web for control tower

Watch the planes land and take off through binoculars and hear audio from the control tower.
Because there was little other traffic at the airport, communications with the control tower were noticeably relaxed.
The control tower at the local airport has a direct view of the site, which is kept well lit during the dark winter months.
The runway may be intact, but the control tower lost communications after the quake.
These channels can be programmed to an output device that steers my jet or dials the help line at my local control tower.
Loved or hated, the old control tower was undeniably a traveler's milestone.
Many airports have only part-time control tower operations, and many others have no control tower.
It added an instrument runway, a terminal building, a control tower and an air cargo center.

British Dictionary definitions for control tower

noun

a tower at an airport from which air traffic is controlled