When issuing a departure clearance, if the requested altitude is not available, what must you include?

• A. A different expected altitude when the requested altitude is not available
• B. The same altitude as requested
• C. No altitude information
• D. Only the beacon code.

Answer: (A)

When you issue a departure clearance and the requested altitude cannot be granted, you must provide a different altitude that you can assign and also include the expected altitude the aircraft should anticipate. This tells the pilot the immediate climb target and the planned altitude to expect as you sequence the flight, helping maintain separation and flow. For example, you might say, climb and maintain 8,000, expect 14,000 in 15 miles. Giving the same altitude would be inappropriate since it’s not available, and omitting altitude information or only providing a beacon code would leave the pilot without the necessary guidance for altitude.