What is the purpose of a vector in air traffic control?

In air traffic control, a vector refers to a specific heading that air traffic controllers provide to an aircraft for navigational guidance. The purpose of issuing a vector is to direct the aircraft along a safe and efficient flight path, which can be particularly important for sequencing traffic, avoiding obstacles, or guiding aircraft into landing patterns.

When an aircraft is given a vector, it allows the pilot to adjust the aircraft's course according to the provided heading, which can facilitate improved spacing between aircraft, manage traffic flow, or navigate around weather or other airspace issues. This helps maintain safety and efficiency in the busy airspace that air traffic controllers oversee.

In contrast, the other options involve different aspects of air traffic management: maintaining a specific altitude is crucial for vertical separation, while a route that avoids congested airspace concerns planning rather than real-time navigation. A method for entering a holding pattern pertains to managing aircraft that are waiting for clearance to land, which is a more structured process than the dynamic nature of vectored flight paths.