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 the authority is to arrange the meteorological service for international civil aviation.
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.
To help keep aviation safe, automatic weather stations used for aviation in Australia and its territories (including maritime territories) must be approved by the Bureau
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 applications for automatic weather station approval
- conducts independent compliance audits
- provides recommendations to the Director.
Apply for a Certificate of Approval
Use the documents and forms below to understand the process and submit 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 also approves non-Bureau automatic weather stations to issue weather reports for aviation purposes under the CASR. This includes land-based aerodromes and helicopter landing sites (HLS).
The following list of approved stations is effective 15 December 2025.
| Aerodrome/HLS | Weather station type | Certificate holder |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | Runway visual range system | Australia Pacific Airports (Melbourne) Pty Ltd |
| Sydney/Kingsford Smith | Runway visual range system | Sydney Airport Corporation Limited |
| Boolgeeda Brisbane West Wellcamp Bunbury Christmas Creek Eliwana Fortescue Dave Forrest Gruyere Gudai-Darri Mine Inverell Iron Bridge Mine Koolan Island/Koolan Central Solomon The Granites Tooradin Tropicana West Angelas | Automatic weather station | Vaisala Pty Ltd |
| Brisbane Canberra Perth | Runway visual range system | Vaisala Pty Ltd |
| Barimunya Carrapateena Coondewanna Djarindjin/Lombadina Doomadgee Ginbata Golden Grove Mount Keith West Musgrave | Automatic weather station | DTN APAC Pty Ltd |
| Ginbata | Temperature-only automatic weather station | DTN APAC Pty Ltd |
| Sunshine Coast | Threshold anemometer RWY 13 | DTN APAC Pty Ltd |
| BW Opal | Automatic weather station | RPS AAP Consulting Pty Ltd |
| Prelude FLNG | Automatic weather station | Shell Australia Pty Ltd |