Is "banned from the airways" an eggcorn or malapropism?

Question

It should be "banned from the airwaves", meaning "not allowed to be played on radio". I noticed this mistake in a British newspaper story.

The former star's music has largely been banned from the airways since his fall from grace.

Is this an eggcorn?

Maybe it means "not allowed to be sung", as in, it's banned from your trachea. — Mr. Shiny and New 安宇, Nov 25 '11 at 16:30

score 4 · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-25T18:03:02.103

4

It is an eggcorn according to either of two ways of defining airway: either his songs are not allowed to be sung (airway meaning air passage for breathing) or they are not allowed to be played on planes (airway meaning plane route).

edited Nov 25 '11 at 18:03

answered Nov 25 '11 at 17:14

2

The point being: The newspaper meant to say banned from the airwaves, meaning "not played on radio". Mistakenly saying airways makes this an eggcorn. Or maybe just a misprint. – GEdgar Nov 25 '11 at 17:47

Is "banned from the airways" an eggcorn or malapropism?

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