FAA Removing On-Site Meteorologists In 21 Traffic Centers

The Federal Aviation Administration is ending its nearly five-decade-long partnership with the National Weather Service by evicting its entire Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) meteorologist staff. Weather forecasting and related accident prevention will now be a completely autonomous job.

The agreement’s termination will become effective on April 20, 2025. This affects every meteorologist currently working at one of the FAA’s 21 ARTCC sites.

These human meteorologists play a crucial role in weather-related safety assurance. They use computer-generated models, radar information, and satellite imagery to provide reports and forecasts for air traffic control. This allows controllers to plan flight routes, altitudes, and timing based on potential weather events, which improves both efficiency and safety in the national airspace.

“The FAA and NOAA are working on a path forward on the interagency agreement," the FAA commented. “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.”

Air traffic controllers have been questioning whether computers will be able to fully replicate the work done by in-person meteorologists. Others, like the National Weather Service Employees Organization, have expressed that computerizing ARTCC  “will endanger flight safety across the National Air Space for the traveling public and airline industry crews.”

Having human meteorologists at each ARTCC site became the legal standard in the early 1980s. The play was authorized after a Southern Airways DC-9 lost all engine power during a thunderstorm and crash landed, killing a total of 72 people. The flight crew was unaware of the incoming weather until it was too late.

The FAA has attempted to mess with the ARTCC operation numerous times in the past. In early 2009, the agency even considered consolidating the 21 centers into just two, with one in Kansas City and the other in College Park. Air traffic controllers came to the rescue this time, as well, asserting that maintaining flight safety requires rapid and local weather expertise.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.weather.gov