Weather has a major impact on the capacity, efficiency, and safety of the air traffic management (ATM) system. Runway acceptance rates and other capacity metrics are reduced in instrument meteorological conditions. According to some studies, 40-65 percent of delays that impact U.S. domestic airlines are caused by adverse weather, at annual direct costs ranging from $4-5B per year. Passengers are inconvenienced by flight delays and cancellations or diversions due to weather, and are uncomfortable or may even be injured when turbulence is encountered during a flight. The expected future growth in air traffic will only exacerbate these conditions, imposing constraints on the ability of the industry to meet growing demand while improving safety and efficiency. The capability to observe, analyze, forecast, and disseminate weather information can be improved by recent technical developments, but the air transport industry lacks a consistent understanding of how to evaluate and use these new capabilities in the most beneficial way. The relative value of different types of weather products, the timeliness of their delivery, knowledge about the users and providers of aviation weather information, and other factors need to be understood to ensure that investment in technology development and operational systems provides optimum value.
In this paper we present findings from a study we are conducting to develop technical and business-relevant information on the impacts of weather on the ATM system, and on the role of weather information in emerging communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) technologies. We describe user requirements for aviation weather information, explain where operational deficiencies exist in the aviation weather system, and evaluate the impacts that emerging aviation weather technologies may have on improving efficiency and increasing capacity in the ATM system. Our focus is on requirements for aviation weather information in the context of a modernized National Airspace System (NAS) architecture, with an emphasis on the needs of programs and concepts such as Collaborative Decision Making, Free Flight, and trajectory synthesis.
The 8th Conference on Aviation, Range, and Aerospace Meteorology