Standard terminal arrival route

In aviation, a standard terminal arrival route or standard terminal arrival (STAR) is a published procedure followed by aircraft on an IFR flight plan just before reaching a destination airport.

A STAR is an ATC-coded IFR arrival route established for application to arriving IFR aircraft destined for certain airports. RNAV STAR/FMSP procedures for arrivals serve the same purpose but are used only by aircraft equipped with FMS or GPS. The purpose of both is to simplify clearance delivery procedures and facilitate transition between en route and instrument approach procedures.