The Met Office has renewed its contract with Heathrow Airport, continuing a 15-year partnership to provide on-site meteorological services at the UK’s busiest airport.
Under the five-year agreement, the Met Office will continue to provide meteorological expertise based at Heathrow, delivering forecasts and operational weather support to help the airport prepare for and respond to fog, snow, strong winds, heavy rainfall and high temperatures.
The contract combines commercial forecasting services with the Met Office’s existing regulated aviation weather services, which it provides on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The Met Office will also continue to provide observing services at Heathrow and at observation sites around the airport to support fog and low visibility forecasting. The Met Office Aeronautical Visualisation Service (MAVIS) will be used alongside operational meteorologist support to give all team members at the airport wider access to regulated aviation forecast tools. Met Office climate data and expertise will continue to inform longer-term planning and future resilience considerations.
An embedded team of meteorologists advises key operations managers at Heathrow, including airside, landside, air traffic and airlines, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, from within the Heathrow Airport Operations Centre.
“Weather is more than a forecast for an airport like Heathrow. It is a critical input to operational decision-making,” said Steve Calder, chief customer officer and director of government and industry relationships at the Met Office. “By working side-by-side with Heathrow’s teams, our meteorologists provide the insight and foresight needed to anticipate weather impacts, minimize disruption and maintain safe, efficient operations.”
“Their teams are on hand 365 days a year, providing specialist forecasting that enables our teams to plan with confidence and ensures passengers and cargo are kept on the move,” said Trevor Waldock, head of airside operations at Heathrow.
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