Which describes the Actual Block to Block period?

• A. The period of time beginning when an aircraft first moves under its own power from the ramp blocks and ending when the aircraft comes to rest at the ramp blocks at any station or other point of termination.
• B. The time from engine start to shutdown on the ground.
• C. The time from pushback to gate arrival.
• D. The time from taxi to takeoff.

Answer: (A)

Actual Block to Block time is the period from when the aircraft first moves under its own power from the ramp blocks until it comes to rest at the ramp blocks at any station. This captures the whole journey of a flight leg—pushback, taxi out, takeoff, the en-route portion, landing, and taxi to the arrival gate. It’s the total elapsed time from gate departure to gate arrival, not just the ground movement or the on-ground engine running time. Other measures describe only parts of that journey: from engine start to shutdown on the ground excludes the airborne segment; from pushback to gate arrival omits the flight; and from taxi to takeoff covers only the taxi phase up to departure, not the flight or arrival.