Standard terminal arrival route

Area navigation (RNAV) STAR/FMSP procedures for arrivals serve the same purpose but are used only by aircraft equipped with flight management systems (FMS) or GPS.

A typical STAR consists of a set of starting points, called transitions, and a description of routes (typically via VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) radio beacons and airway intersections) from each of these transitions to a point near the destination airport, from where the aircraft can undertake an instrument approach (IAP) or be vectored for a final approach by terminal air traffic control.

Sometimes several airports in a locality share a single STAR; in such circumstances, aircraft follow the same arrival route until the final waypoint, diverging thereafter for their chosen destination.

In Europe, they are often named after the transition waypoint, followed by a digit that is incremented with each revision of the procedure, and a letter designating the runway for which the STAR is intended.

Typically, European STARs are very runway-specific and allow approaches to be made without the controller needing to issue radar vectors frequently until short final.