On an ICAO flight plan, scheduled departure time is

• A. time off blocks
• B. time off the blocks
• C. time off the blocks plus 5 minutes for taxiing
• D. airborne time

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is when the aircraft is planned to leave the gate area and begin its taxi-out. In ICAO flight planning, the scheduled departure time is the time the aircraft is off the blocks—that is, the moment the aircraft starts moving away from the stand. This is the reference used for coordination with controllers and ground services, not the moment it becomes airborne. It also isn’t a fixed extra buffer like “plus 5 minutes for taxiing.” And the phrase used is “time off blocks,” not “time off the blocks.”