Which projection is widely used for air navigation due to angle preservation?

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Angle preservation on a map projection means the map is conformal: local angles and shapes are preserved, so a line drawn to indicate a direction on the chart closely matches the real bearing on the ground. This is crucial for navigation because pilots rely on charted bearings to follow routes accurately.

The Lambert conformal conic projection is conformal, which is why it’s widely used for aeronautical charts. By choosing standard parallels that fit a region (often mid-latitude continents), it keeps distortion of shapes and angles minimal over that area, making course directions on the chart reliable for flight planning and in-flight navigation. While the Mercator projection also preserves angles, its scale distortion grows with latitude, making it less ideal for broad air routes across wide latitude ranges. The Polyconic projection isn’t conformal, so it doesn’t preserve angles, and Transverse Mercator is best suited to narrow, north–south strips rather than extensive air routes.