5-4-6

Receiving Controller Handoff

JO 7110.65BB, Change 3, effective July 9, 2026 · Official text on faa.gov

The receiving controller must:

Ensure that the target position corresponds with the position given by the transferring controller or that there is an appropriate association between an automated data block and the target being transferred before accepting a handoff.
Reference

FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 2-1-14, Coordinate Use of Airspace.
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 2-1-15, Control Transfer.
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 5-4-5, Transferring Controller Handoff.
Issue restrictions that are needed for the aircraft to enter your sector safely before accepting the handoff.
Comply with restrictions issued by the transferring controller unless otherwise coordinated.
After accepting a handoff from another facility, confirm the identification of a primary target by advising the aircraft of its position, and of a nondiscrete beacon target by observing a code change, an “ident” reply, or a “standby” squawk unless one of these was used during handoff. These provisions do not apply at those towers and GCAs that have been delegated the responsibility for providing radar separation within designated areas by the overlying approach control facility and the aircraft identification is assured by sequencing or positioning prior to the handoff.
Reference

FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 5-9-5, Approach Separation Responsibility.
Consider a beacon target's identity to be confirmed when:
1. The data block associated with the target being handed off indicates the computer assigned discrete beacon code is being received; or
2. You observe the deletion of a discrete code that was displayed in the data block; or
  Note
  
  When the beacon code received from the aircraft does not match the computer assigned beacon code, the code received (ERAM, MEARTS) or the site-adapted code (received, computer-assigned, or both for STARS) will be displayed in the data block. When the aircraft changes to the computer assigned code, the code is automatically removed from the data block. In this instance, the observance of code removal from the data block satisfies confirmation requirements.
3. You observe the numeric display of a discrete code that an aircraft has been instructed to squawk or reports squawking.
Take the identified action prior to accepting control of a track when the following indicators are displayed in the data block:
1. “AMB” or “AM”: advise the other facility that a disparity exists between the position declared by their computer and the position declared by your STARS/MEARTS system.
2. “NAT” or “NT”: advise the other facility if a disparity exists between the position declared by their computer and the actual target position.
3. “DATA,” “CST,” “NONE,” or “OLD”: initiate verbal coordination.
ERAM: Notify the OS/CIC when a MISM is displayed in the data block.
Advise the transferring controller as soon as possible if you will delay the climb or descent of the aircraft through the vertical limits of that controller's area of jurisdiction, unless otherwise specified in an LOA or a facility directive.