International aviation

Our services give users the information to improve both the safety and efficiency of their operations.

World Area Forecast Centre (WAFC)

The Met Office is one of only two World Area Forecast Centres (WAFC) and is known as WAFC London - the other is WAFC Washington (NOAA). Since 1984, we have provided international forecasting services to meet Annex 3 to the ICAO Convention on Civil Aviation.

We supply:

• global forecasts of upper winds and temperatures for flights throughout the world, helping to optimise safety and fuel consumption
• significant weather data (SIGWX) charts

 

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)

The Met Office is one of nine centres globally responsible for issuing advisories for volcanic eruptions. We cover eruptions originating in Iceland and a portion of the northeastern Atlantic, producing volcanic ash advisories to support the decision making of those operating within the airspace.

 

Secure Aviation Data Information System (SADIS)

The Met Office exclusively delivers and maintains Secure Aviation Data Information System (SADIS) which supplies World Area Forecast System (WAFS) gridded and SIGWX data and OPerational METeorology (OPMET) data to aviation users in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia.  SADIS is available as in an FTP version (due for retirement in 2028) and a SWIM compliant API version.

 

Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR)

The Met Office has worked with partners across Europe on three SESAR Deployment projects which provide aviation stakeholders with new tools and services to help make informed decisions based on forecasts and observations of enroute hazardous weather across the European domain.