2026 Amendment to WMO's Qualification and Competency Requirements for Aeronautical Meteorological Personnel (Page 1 of 2)

2026 Amendment to WMO's Qualification and Competency Requirements for Aeronautical Meteorological Personnel

(Page 1 of 2)

Last updated: 21 July 2023

Background

In 2011, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) adopted the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) as a prerequisite qualification requirement (as a Standard) for aeronautical meteorological forecasters (AMF). The requirement for AMF to have successfully completed the BIP-M entered into force in 2016.

More recently, WMO’s Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI), with assistance from its Expert Team on Education, Training and Competency (ET-ETC), has determined that the existing aeronautical meteorological personnel (AMP) qualification and competency requirements defined in the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, General Meteorological Standards and Recommended Practices and, in the case of competency, elaborated by guidance in the Compendium of WMO Competency Frameworks (WMO-No. 1209), are not wholly suited to aeronautical meteorological specialisms such as volcanic ash, space weather and tropical cyclones. Indeed, aeronautical meteorological service providers with responsibility to maintain a continuous watch over such phenomena in their area of responsibility presently have little or no means to demonstrate how their specialist AMF fully comply with WMO’s prevailing qualification and competency requirements.

Consequently, in 2021/2022, SC-AVI and its ET-ETC prepared a proposed amendment to Part V of WMO-No. 49, Volume I and an update to Section 2.2 of WMO-No. 1209. SC-AVI considered that the proposed changes would provide a more pragmatic and flexible approach for WMO Members to demonstrate evidence of the underpinning knowledge and skills required to attain the respective AMP competency. SC-AVI also recognized that in the short term, successful completion of the Basic Instruction Packages, is the easiest way to demonstrate a candidate possesses the underpinning skills and knowledge described in the respective competency framework.

Latest Developments

The proposed amendment was duly considered (and improved) during the second session of WMO’s Services Commission (SERCOM-2, October 2022) and the nineteenth World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19, May/June 2023). Consequently, through Resolution 11 (Cg-19), Congress adopted an amendment to WMO-No. 49, Volume I with an applicability date of 1 January 2026 and an update to WMO-No. 1209.

Next Steps

Consistent with the outcomes of Congress (Cg-19), WMO will publish new or updated editions of the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I and Compendium of WMO Competency Frameworks (WMO-No. 1209) in time for the applicability of the new provisions on 1 January 2026. These publications will be accessible via the WMO e-Library.

To support WMO Members and their aeronautical meteorological service providers in the implementation of new/updated requirements, supplementary guidance may also be developed by ET-ETC and made available via the Services for Aviation Moodle training portal and/or other appropriate platforms.

Amendment Adopted by Congress (Cg-19)

The following provides a high-level summary of the amendment to the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I and update to WMO-No. 1209 respectively, as adopted by Congress (Cg-19). For details on the changes, refer to the PDF documents below.

Summary of the changes to WMO-No. 49, Volume I, Part V: QUALIFICATIONS:

Addition of a Recommendation that WMO Members should, based on the relevant national, regional and/or global requirements, determine the necessary level of qualification(s) required for each category of operational personnel. (New paragraph 1.1.2)
Removal of a Recommendation that WMO Members should decide, in light of their national circumstances, whether higher or more specific qualification requirements to those currently prescribed in WMO-No. 49, Volume I, Part V should be established for certain categories of operational personnel. (Paragraph 1.1.3)
Addition of a Note to clarify that AMP includes personnel with responsibility for providing an aeronautical meteorological service at the national, regional or global level. (Inserted between paragraphs 1.2 and 1.2.1)
Addition of a Note to describe that Members may require additional and/or higher levels of qualification(s) for operational AMP. (Inserted between paragraphs 1.2 and 1.2.1)
Addition of a Note to describe that aeronautical meteorological service delivery specialisms such as (but not limited to) volcanic hazards and space weather may require the successful completion of additional and/or alternative qualification frameworks to underpin the required competencies of the personnel delivering operational services in such specialist areas. (Inserted between paragraphs 1.2 and 1.2.1)
Revision of a Standard that requires an aeronautical meteorological forecaster (AMF) to have successfully completed the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) to describe qualification(s) for AMF that are consistent with the BIP-M. (Paragraph 1.2.1.1)

Note, a proposed amendment addressing qualification(s) of AMO linked to the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorological Technicians (BIP-MT) was not supported by Congress (Cg-19). Therefore, only the amendment associated with AMF linked to the BIP-M, as summarized above, was adopted.

Summary of changes to WMO-No. 1209, Section 2 COMPETENCIES (SECOND-LEVEL):

Removal of reference [in the regional variations section] that an aeronautical meteorological forecaster (AMF) is required to possess the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M).
Addition of reference [in the regional variations section] that the level of qualification(s) necessary to underpin the required competencies of operational aeronautical meteorological forecasters is to be consistent with the relevant educational framework, background skills and knowledge described in the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M).
Addition of reference [in the regional variations section] that the aeronautical meteorological office or centre should record evidence that the AMP responsible for the provision of its services have completed the necessary formal learning or courses of study to demonstrate they possess the background skills and knowledge, as described in the relevant competency framework.
Addition [in the regional variations section] of the record keeping requirements.

To download a PDF copy of the amendment to the **Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, General Meteorological Standards and Recommended Practices** please click on the icon below ↓	To download a PDF copy of the update to the Compendium of WMO Competency Frameworks (WMO-No. 1209) please click on the icon below ↓
English	English
Also available in: French \| Spanish \| Russian \| Chinese \| Arabic	[Only available in English]

Information Sheets

The following two information sheets pertaining to the changes to the AMP qualification and competency requirements contained in WMO-No. 49, Volume I and WMO-No. 1209 are available for download (in English only):

To download a PDF copy of the AMP qualification information sheet please click on the icon below ↓	To download a PDF copy of the AMP competencies information sheet, please click on the icon below ↓
English only	English only

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