An airway is a passage that air travels through. In your body, your airways include your nose, mouth, throat, and the tubes that carry air down into your lungs. When you breathe in, air flows through these airways to reach your lungs, where oxygen enters your blood. When you breathe out, air travels back through the same passages.

Doctors and paramedics pay close attention to airways because breathing depends on them staying open. If someone is choking or having a severe allergic reaction, their airway might become blocked or swollen, making it hard or impossible to breathe. In emergencies, medical professionals work quickly to clear or protect the airway so the person can breathe again.

The word also refers to air routes that aircraft follow, like invisible highways in the sky. Pilots fly along designated airways to avoid collisions and ensure safe, organized travel. Air traffic controllers monitor these airways to keep planes safely separated, especially near busy airports.

When someone says “watch their airway” during a sports injury, they mean making sure the person can breathe properly. Keeping airways clear and open matters whether you're talking about the passages inside your body or the routes planes follow through the sky.