holding pattern vs air lane

holding pattern and air lane both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
holding pattern	Yes	No	No	No
air lane	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, air lane is a hypernym of holding pattern; that is, air lane is a word with a broader meaning than holding pattern:

holding pattern: the flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land
air lane: a designated route followed by airplanes in flying from one airport to another

Other hypernyms of holding pattern include airway, flight path, skyway.

holding pattern (noun)	air lane (noun)
the flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land	a designated route followed by airplanes in flying from one airport to another
a state of inaction with no progress and no change