What does MEA stand for?

What does MEA stand for?

• A. Minimum En-route Altitude
• B. Maximum En-route Altitude
• C. Mean En-route Altitude
• D. Minimum Outside Air Altitude

Answer: (A)

MEA stands for the minimum en-route altitude. It is the lowest altitude published for an IFR en-route segment that still guarantees obstacle clearance from terrain and other obstacles, while also ensuring reliable navigation signal reception (from navaids or GNSS) along that segment. This altitude helps pilots stay safe when flying between navigation fixes on airways, especially over areas with terrain or limited navigation signal coverage. The other terms don’t fit because they don’t describe the safety and navigation-reliability requirement built into the en-route route; maximum, mean, or outside air altitude are not the standard concept used here.

MEA stands for the minimum en-route altitude. It is the lowest altitude published for an IFR en-route segment that still guarantees obstacle clearance from terrain and other obstacles, while also ensuring reliable navigation signal reception (from navaids or GNSS) along that segment. This altitude helps pilots stay safe when flying between navigation fixes on airways, especially over areas with terrain or limited navigation signal coverage. The other terms don’t fit because they don’t describe the safety and navigation-reliability requirement built into the en-route route; maximum, mean, or outside air altitude are not the standard concept used here.