A numerically coded route preplanned over existing airway and route systems to and from specific coastal fixes serving the North Atlantic. North American Routes consist of:

1. Common Route/Portion – that segment between the inland navigation facility and the coastal fix.
2. Noncommon Route/Portion – that segment between the inland navigation facility and a designated North American terminal.
3. Inland Navigation Facility – a navigation aid at which the common route and/or the noncommon route begins or ends.
4. Coastal Fix – a navigation aid or intersection where an aircraft transitions between the domestic route structure and the oceanic route structure.

Source FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary↗ · checked 2026-08-25