What is the consequence of an aircraft deviating significantly from its assigned altitude?

When an aircraft deviates significantly from its assigned altitude, notifying surrounding air traffic is crucial for maintaining safety and situational awareness. This communication ensures that other pilots and controllers are aware of the altitude deviation, allowing them to take necessary precautions to avoid potential conflicts.

This notification process helps prevent loss of separation between aircraft, which is vital for preventing collisions in busy airspace. By keeping everyone informed of the altitude change, controllers can facilitate the safe management of the airspace and assist in re-establishing the aircraft's proper altitude as needed.

The other choices focus on other aspects of air traffic management but do not directly address the immediate priority that arises from altitude deviations, which centers around maintaining clear communication with all relevant parties in the airspace.