divert
dih-VERT
/daɪˈvɜːt/
To reroute an aircraft to a destination other than its planned airport, usually due to weather or emergencies.
Refers to changing the destination airport mid-flight rather than just steering around a small cloud.
The story behind the word. Composed of Latin 'di-' (aside/away) and 'vertere' (to turn). It entered Middle English from Old French 'divertir', meaning to turn movement away from an intended path.
Word relationships
- reroute: Reroute means changing flight paths, while divert specifically implies changing destination airports.
- detour: Detour implies a roundabout path returning to original route, unlike divert.
- continue: To proceed on the original planned route to original destination.
Commonly confused with
- holding: Holding is waiting in a circuit near destination; diverting is leaving for another airport entirely.
Word family
- diversion (noun): The act of rerouting to an alternate airport.
- diverted (verb): Rerouted to an alternate destination.
Collocations
- divert to an alternate
- forced to divert
- decision to divert
- divert a flight
Example sentences
- "Heavy fog forced the airliner to divert to an alternate airport two hundred miles south of its destination." Emergency Protocols
- "With fuel running low during the thunderstorm, the pilot decided to divert to Chicago Midway." Weather Delay
Memory hook
DIVERT means to TURN AWAY to a different airport. Changing flight destinations mid-air.
When not to use
Do not use when an aircraft simply steers around a minor obstacle; divert implies altering destination.
Fun facts
- Airlines designate alternate airports on every flight plan so pilots know where to divert instantly.
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