When delaying departures on the ground, which sequencing rule should be followed?

• A. In which requests for clearance were originally made, if practicable
• B. In the order of runway availability
• C. By aircraft type
• D. By flight priority code

Answer: (A)

When delaying departures on the ground, the standard approach is to sequence in the order the clearance requests were originally made, if practicable. This first-come, first-served principle keeps the process fair and predictable for pilots and controllers, reducing confusion as multiple aircraft await takeoff. It also aligns with how crews and ops centers anticipate sequencing, making pushbacks and taxi clearances smoother.

Deviations from this order are generally only made for safety or efficiency reasons, such as spacing requirements, wake turbulence, or runway conflicts.

Other methods don’t fit routine departures: ordering by runway availability can favor later requests and disrupt fairness; sequencing by aircraft type ignores actual readiness and can penalize faster or slower taxiing airplanes; relying on a flight priority code moves flights based on predefined categories that are reserved for special situations rather than normal operations.