Definition

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Plan for Emergency Security Control of Air Traffic (ESCAT) is a preparedness plan that prescribes joint action to be taken by appropriate elements of the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security in the interest of national security to control air traffic under emergency conditions. 

Description

The ESCAT terminology replaces the older Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids (SCATANA). SCATANA was implemented during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, when the FAA ordered the grounding of all U.S. air traffic.

The current ESCAT is described in Advisory Circular 99-1E. The ESCAT plan:

• Establishes responsibilities, procedures, and instructions for the security control of civil and military air traffic in order to provide effective use of airspace under various emergency conditions.
• Applies to all U.S. territorial airspace and other airspace over which the FAA has air traffic control (ATC) jurisdiction by international agreement.
• Defines the authorities, responsibilities, and procedures to identify and control air traffic within a specified air defense area during air defense emergencies, defense emergency, or national emergency conditions.
• The military will direct the action to be taken in regard to the landing, grounding, diversion, or dispersal of aircraft in the defense of the U.S. during emergency conditions.