If Sector 67 cannot approve the requested block for 0M8 MHZ SQS, which clearance may be used?

• A. Hold and revert
• B. Clear as filed
• C. Abort departure
• D. Direct to SQS only

Answer: (B)

When you can’t approve a requested block, the best course is to clear the aircraft as filed. This means the aircraft continues on the route, altitude and other parameters exactly as they were originally published in the flight plan, without introducing new routing or restrictions. Clearing as filed preserves the pilot’s intended plan and minimizes unnecessary changes or re-clearances, as long as the filed plan remains safe and compliant with current airspace and traffic.

Holding and reverting would introduce a delay and require new coordination; aborting departure is a pre-takeoff action, not applicable once the flight is already in progress; directing only to a single waypoint (direct to SQS) would alter the filed route and could create conflicts or confusion if the rest of the plan is not addressed.