Airband or aircraft band is the name for a group of frequencies in the VHF radio spectrum allocated to radio communication in civil aviation, sometimes also referred to as VHF, or phonetically as "Victor". Different sections of the band are used for radionavigational aids and air traffic control.
In most countries a license to operate airband equipment is required and the operator is tested on competency in procedures, language and the use of the phonetic alphabet.
It is illegal in most countries to transmit on the airband frequencies without a suitable license, although an individual license may not be required, for instance in the US where aircraft stations are "licensed by rule".Many countries' regulations also restrict communications in the airband. For instance, in Canada, airband communications are limited to those required for "the safety and navigation of an aircraft; the general operation of the aircraft; and the exchange of messages on behalf of the public. In addition, a person may operate radio apparatus only to transmit a non-superfluous signal or a signal containing non-profane or non-obscene radiocommunications.
Listening to airband frequencies without a license is also an offense in some countries. However, in certain countries, such as the UK, it is permissible to listen to as it is covered under navigational and weather related transmissions.[20] Such activity has been the subject of international situations between governments when tourists bring airband equipment into countries which ban the possession and use of such equipment.