Meteorological Authority Office

About the Meteorological Authority Office

We help Australia meet its responsibilities under the Convention on International Civil Aviation 1947 (the Chicago Convention).

Designated meteorological authority

The Convention supports safe, regular and efficient international air navigation. Countries that have signed the Convention must have a designated meteorological authority. The role of the authority is to:

• coordinate the provision of meteorological services for aviation
• ensure the service complies with international standards and practices. These are set out in Annex 3 to the Convention – Meteorological Service for Air Navigation.

The Bureau is the designated meteorological authority for Australia.

Role of our Meteorological Authority Office

The Meteorological Authority Office ensures the Bureau fulfils its role as Australia's designated meteorological authority. For information about the Bureau's meteorological services for aviation, view our Aviation sector page.

The Office also helps the Director of Meteorology approve non-Bureau automatic weather stations used for aviation in Australia and its territories. This includes maritime territories. See Certification services on this page.

Certification services

Automatic weather stations, including runway visual range systems, that will be used for aviation in Australia and its territories (including maritime territories) must be approved by the Bureau.

The Bureau makes these decisions for the purposes of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR). This legislation is the overarching aviation safety framework in Australia.

To support the Director, the Meteorological Authority Office:

• processes automatic weather station approval applications
• conducts independent compliance audits
• makes recommendations to the Director.

Apply for a Certificate of Approval

Use these documents and forms to understand the process and make your application.

Need an accessible version of these documents? Contact us about your needs.

Non-Bureau weather stations approved for aviation

Bureau weather stations at airports are approved to make weather reports. The Meteorological Authority Office has also approved these automatic weather stations to make weather reports for the purpose of CASR, for use by aviation. This includes land-based aerodromes and helicopter landing sites.

This list of approved stations is effective 14 April 2025.