Pacific Meteorological Services play a critical role in supporting the safety of aviation services when it comes to travel by air for our region. Weather and climate information is just one of many factors addressed when it comes to safe air travel. This week in Nadi, Fiji, our Pacific experts met to strengthen their role in making those journeys safer.
Coordinated to ensure that Pacific Island nations are fully across the key international requirements related to compliance saw weather and aviation specialists from across the Asia and Pacific region come together.
Held in Nadi, the one-week workshop was hosted by the Government of Fiji, supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and co-funded by the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“We look forward to closer collaboration with the ICAO Office in the Pacific to better guide us on the developments in the Aviation field,” said Mr. Laitia Fifita, Director of the Tonga Meteorological Service and Co-Chair of the Pacific Islands Aviation Panel on Aviation Weather Services.
“This way we can pivot to address gaps that arise in our services through the Weather Ready Pacific Programme and other similar initiatives.”
Air travel across the Pacific is a way of Pacific life. Ensuring the weather information that guides those flights, forecasts, warnings about storms, alerts about volcanic ash in the sky, must be accurate, timely, and dependable.
Yet many Pacific Island countries have faced longstanding challenges in maintaining the systems and trained staff needed to consistently deliver these services. Limited budgets, small teams, and the challenge of distance for more remote countries pose a challenge for some Pacific Met Services to meet international safety standards, and the consequences can be serious.
“It must be ensured that no Pacific country is left behind when it comes to the weather services that keep people safe in the air. When we strengthen weather services in the Pacific, we are strengthening the safety net that holds our communities together, and that is what Weather Ready Pacific is all about,” said Mr ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, Manager of the Weather Ready Programme.
“The biggest issue with the Pacific islands is the sustainability of Meteorological Services for which the Pacific Meteorological Directors have requested a regional approach to rectify. The weather equipment of airports needs continuous calibration and maintenance, and aeronautical meteorology personnel need regular training. This will cost money that most Meteorological Offices in the Pacific islands do not have.”
During the meeting Pacific countries explored the feasibility of a regional approach to cost recovery from Aviation to help sustain aviation meteorological services. They looked to the larger countries in the region that manage the Flight Information Regions such as Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.
This meeting is a precursor to a Joint Pacific Director of Met Services/Director of Civil Aviation Authorises Meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands next month where the issue of cost recovery will be raised again and discussed.
“At present, only three Pacific Islands outside the US and French territories have certified Weather Services for Aviation. We’d like to see Pacific Met Services receive the help they need – accessing a portion of the air navigation charges in the region would be a good start. It will ensure that the service provided and the safety of Air Navigation in the region is healthy and won’t be compromised. Weather Ready Pacific is here to support the countries in these negotiations and hopefully establish a solution that is transformational and long lasting,” said Mr Fa’anunu.
The WRP programme, a Pacific-led initiative, funded the participation of 12 participants from Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the WRP Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Readiness Funds part of its broader mission to strengthen National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) across the Pacific.
Over the course of the week-long workshop, from 21 to 24 April, meetings will also be held with the ICAO Asia and Pacific Meteorological Information Exchange Working Group, to support regional cooperation on how weather information is shared and used across the Pacific's aviation network.
About the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme
The Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) is a Pacific-led, Pacific-owned decadal Programme of Investment endorsed by Pacific Leaders. Implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), WRP aims to reduce the human and economic costs of severe weather, water, and ocean events across Pacific Island communities by strengthening National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and their partnerships with National Disaster Management Offices. Since 2023, WRP is designated the primary regional vehicle for delivering the United Nations Secretary-General's Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in the Pacific. The programme is supported by the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.