For flights in hold, which type of annotations are used and when should they be deleted?

• A. For flights in hold, use EDST Hold annotations. Hold annotations must be deleted when aircraft is cleared from holding.
• B. Hold annotations are optional and may be left in place.
• C. Hold annotations must be replaced with a different color coding after clearance.
• D. Hold annotations are not used in EDST operations.

Answer: (A)

EDST Hold annotations are the standard marker used to indicate that a flight is in a hold. They provide a clear, persistent flag in the EDST system so everyone involved knows the aircraft’s status and can manage sequencing and spacing accordingly. These annotations should be deleted as soon as the aircraft is cleared from holding, because once the clearance is issued and the aircraft exits the hold, the marker would otherwise misrepresent the current status and could lead to confusion or improper routing. In EDST operations, hold annotations are not optional and there isn’t a separate color-coding substitute—the hold status is conveyed by these annotations and they are removed once the hold is cleared.