Meteorological Services

GEN 3.5 — Meteorological Services

Responsible Authority

Meteorological services for civil aviation within the Damascus FIR are provided by the Syrian Meteorological Department in accordance with ICAO Annex 3 — Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation.

MET Services Provided

• Routine aerodrome weather reports (METAR/SPECI)
• Terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAF)
• SIGMET and AIRMET advisories
• Pre-flight meteorological briefings and flight documentation
• Aerodrome warnings
• Wind shear warnings

Pre-flight Documentation

Pre-flight meteorological documentation is available at MET offices at each international airport (OSDI, OSAP, OSLK). Documentation includes:

• Route forecast and significant weather
• Destination and alternate aerodrome forecasts
• Wind and temperature data for filed cruising levels
• Current METAR/SPECI for departure, destination, and alternates
• SIGMET/AIRMET information for the route of flight

VOLMET Service

VOLMET service is not provided within the Damascus FIR.

Meteorological Watch Office (MWO)

ATIS / Automated Weather Services

• Damascus ATIS: Available H24 on 128.225 MHz, with manual updates.
• Limited automated meteorological observing facilities: Installed at Damascus (OSDI) and Aleppo (OSAP). Visibility and cloud-base observations are not automated.
• Deir ez-Zor (OSDZ): A basic meteorological observing station is installed.

MET Watch and Warnings

• The Damascus MWO maintains continuous MET watch for the Damascus FIR (OSTT)
• SIGMET advisories are issued for: thunderstorms (TS), severe turbulence (SEV TURB), severe icing (SEV ICE), mountain waves (MTW), volcanic ash (VA), sandstorms/dust storms (SS/DS)
• Aerodrome warnings are issued for: wind shear at low levels, thunderstorm activity near aerodrome, visibility below 800m, crosswind exceeding limits

Altimeter setting information

See ENR 1.7 and the applicable aerodrome AD 2.17 for transition altitude and altimeter-setting procedures.

MET Observation Stations