A Military Aerodrome Traffic Zone, also known as a MATZ, is the airspace

Airspace

Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....

 surrounding a military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 aerodrome

Aerodrome

An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...

.

Purpose

Military Aerodrome Traffic Zones (MATZ) have been established as detailed by the UK AIS

Aeronautical Information Service

One of the least known and most vital roles in support of international civil aviation is filled by the Aeronautical Information Service . The objective of the Aeronautical Information Service is to ensure the flow of information necessary for the safety, regularity and efficiency of international...

 in the IAIP ENR 2.1.. The airspace is to provide protection to military aircraft traffic in the critical stages of circuit

Airfield traffic pattern

An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or landing, while maintaining visual contact with the airfield....

, landing

Landing

thumb|A [[Mute Swan]] alighting. Note the ruffled feathers on top of the wings indicate that the swan is flying at the [[Stall |stall]]ing speed...

 and takeoff

Takeoff

Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...

.

A MATZ airspace classification is the same as the airspace classification within which it lies, mostly class G (open airspace) in the UK. In the centre of the MATZ is an Aerodrome Traffic Zone, ATZ.

The MATZ airspace has no legal recognised status under the UK Air Navigation Order (ANO) for civil pilots and no prior permission is required to enter it. For safety and good airmanship, pilots are strongly encouraged to obtain 2-way radio communications with the controlling Air Traffic Service

Air Traffic Service

In aviation, an air traffic service is an extra-ventricular service which regulates and assists aircraft in real-time to ensure their safe operations...

 before transitting the airspace.

Dimensions

• The MATZ is centred on the mid-point of the longest runway.
• The main airspace is a zone 5 nautical miles in radius from the surface to 3,000 feet above aerodrome level (aal).
• One or two stubs may also exist and these project from the main airspace above aligned with the selected runway. The stubs dimensions are 5 nautical miles long, 4 nautical miles wide, 1000 feet to 3000 feet aal.

Exceptions to the above dimensions exist for certain military aerodromes.