As millions of passengers prepare to fly home for Christmas and the New Year, the Met Office is working around the clock to keep global aviation moving safely. Even when you've left UK shores, we're still looking after you.
In a time of rapidly evolving technology and a changing climate, the aviation industry faces unprecedented challenges. From severe weather systems that disrupt global air traffic to volcanic ash clouds that can ground entire fleets, meteorological data has never been more critical in keeping passengers and crew safe and supporting a sustainable long-term future for the industry.
To help the sector tackle these challenges, the Met Office offers regulated aviation services to the aviation industry. Funded through contracts with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and National Air Traffic Services (NATS), these safety-critical services form part of the UK's national infrastructure for aviation safety and are free at the point of use. As one of only two World Area Forecast Centres globally, we shoulder responsibilities that extend far beyond our shores.
Forecasting volcanic ash
Volcanic eruptions, while infrequent, present one of aviation's most challenging environmental hazards.
When volcanoes erupt, they can inject huge amounts of ash into the atmosphere, with the possibility to damage jet aircraft engines and cause serious incidents. The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption demonstrated how quickly volcanic ash can bring aviation to a standstill, with air closures affecting millions of passengers and causing a £1.1 billion loss for the industry.
As one of nine Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC), the Met Office is responsible for issuing advisories for volcanic eruptions originating in Iceland and the northeastern Atlantic. Our specialist forecasters use cutting-edge satellite, ground-based and aircraft observations, alongside weather forecast and atmospheric dispersion models, to produce volcanic ash advisories and guidance products.
On 27 November 2025, we introduced a new Quantitative Volcanic Ash service, allowing operators to move away from traditional discernible/visible ash criteria and instead take advantage of engine and airframe volcanic ash certification specifications. This will enable resulting airspace restrictions to be managed more effectively.
Tackling turbulence and hazardous weather
Clear air turbulence, thunderstorms, and other hazardous weather conditions pose daily challenges to aviation operations, with turbulence alone costing the aviation industry hundreds of millions of pounds annually.
We provide comprehensive forecasts for significant weather hazards including turbulence, icing conditions and severe thunderstorms through our work as a World Area Forecast Centre (WAFC). Worldwide, only two WAFCs are responsible for delivering this information: one operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA and the other by the Met Office. Our World Area Forecast System (WAFS) datasets support air traffic management strategies to mitigate hazardous weather conditions.
Nationally we also provide tailored forecast services for pilots flying within the UK, national airlines, airports and Air Traffic Management (ATM), as well as for UK offshore and emergency service helicopters operations - all accessible via PC, tablet or mobile.
Environmental impacts and efficiency
The aviation industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, with the sector committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Fuel consumption accounts not only for a large amount of airline operating costs but is also the industry’s biggest environmental challenge, with aviation accounting for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions.
Certain atmospheric conditions, jet streams, and weather patterns can cause severe weather that leads to increased fuel consumption. Weather is also one of the most impactful causes of air traffic delays, for example responsible for up to 40% of all flight disruptions in European airspace in June 2025, making it an important factor that significantly influences an airline’s efficiency.
Our regulated weather services enable airlines to optimise flight paths using accurate wind and weather forecasts, significantly reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Our WAFS datasets can be integrated into flight-planning software, playing a crucial role in decision-making.
Planning for a rapidly changing world
Climate change is fundamentally altering weather patterns, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events that impact aviation operations. Rising temperatures, changing wind patterns, and more frequent severe weather events are creating new challenges for flight planning and airport operations.
Through our world-leading expertise in climate science and supercomputing capabilities, we deliver the weather and climate projections that support the aviation industry to adapt to our radically changing world. We also provide airfield climate statistics, depicting meteorological impacts including temperature, cloud cover, weather types, visibility, and wind. This data is historical and provides an indication of average weather conditions at each site, complementing pre-flight briefing documentation.
Innovation through technology
In a changing world where climate impacts and technological innovation present both challenges and opportunities, the Met Office remains committed to delivering the most trusted weather and climate intelligence.
Our new Met Office Aeronautical Visualisation Service (MAVIS), represents a significant technological advancement. The service consolidates multiple aviation weather services into a single, user-friendly platform. Learn more about this new service here.
The Met Office also provides trusted commercial aviation services that help airlines, airports, and air traffic control make informed, weather-sensitive decisions. Our commercial offerings include site-specific forecasts, on-site meteorologists, and tailored consultancy. More about our commercial services here.