panhandle
n.a long, narrow piece of land that looks like a handle on a pan. In aviation, it refers to a specific area of the sky where planes must fly to reach a certain airport.
n.a narrow strip of land projecting from the main body of a larger area. In an aviation context, it refers to a specific airspace corridor or flight path that extends from a main route to a specific destination.
“The flight path follows the Gulf of Mexico panhandle.”
“Pilots must navigate the panhandle to avoid restricted airspace over the mountain range before landing at the coastal airport.”
“The strategic importance of the panhandle lies in its ability to provide a direct corridor for international flights, bypassing the more congested urban centers to the north.”
“Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images When Hurricane Michael tore through the Florida Panhandle in 2018, a beach house called the Sand Palace was left standing , while more than half the buildings around it were destroyed.”
“Polls have closed across all of Florida as the clock strikes 7pm in the state’s western panhandle region.”
From pan + handle.
Probable back-formation from panhandler.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.