The Observatory Prepares World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Fact Sheet

28 July 2009

The Observatory's Assistant Director, Mr CM Shun, in collaboration with Dr Herbert P?mpel, WMO's Chief of Aeronautical Meteorology, prepared a WMO Fact Sheet on "Recent Developments in Weather Services to Aviation". This is a sequel to the publication of a related article in the WMO Bulletin, the official journal of WMO, in April 2009 (please see previous HKO Side Lights at: http://www.weather.gov.hk/hkonews/A1/sidelight_a1_090519.htm).

This Fact Sheet comes after a series of recent aircraft accidents, which seem to be occurring almost once every month, the most notable being the tragic Air France crash over the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June 2009. Indeed the Fact Sheet started by mentioning that "43% of aircraft accidents occur during operations in adverse weather. Three quarters of air traffic delays in high density regions are related to weather. Accurate weather forecasts and warnings are indeed vital for safe and regular air transport, in ever more crowded skies", highlighting the significance of weather services to aviation and their recent developments which could contribute to further improvements in aviation safety and efficiency.

The complete Fact Sheet can be viewed at WMO website: http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/factsheet/plane_en.html.