Are automated systems ready? FAA to replace meteorologists at key traffic centers [View all]

Source: USA Today

The FAA announced it will end its over 40-year-old partnership with the NWS, effective on April 20, according to a news release by the National Weather Service Employees Organization. The termination will remove the on-site meteorologists at each of the 21 U.S. Air Route Traffic Control Centers who provide weather forecasting support to help prevent aviation accidents in lieu of a 24/7 accessible software.

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"The FAA and NOAA are working on a path forward on the interagency agreement," the FAA said in a statement to USA TODAY. "The weather safety of our national airspace remains our shared top priority and there will be no change in service that will impact this goal."

The National Weather Service Employees Organization said the move "will endanger flight safety across the National Air Space for the traveling public and airline industry crews" and that due to understaffing, "this new directive will increase risk" in a letter to U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2024/10/28/faa-air-traffic-control-weather-safety-risk/75900358007/

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Are you sure you’d want to fly in the spring—during the heat of tornado season—when there’s no meteorologist for air traffic controllers to consult with to keep from flying into a thunderstorm?