British Airways embraces real-time weather apps to improve weather forecasting

ByTravelling For Business

April 13, 2024

British Airways is set to revolutionise its approach to weather forecasting with the introduction of new real-time apps aimed at mitigating the impact of adverse weather conditions.

Currently, BA’s operational teams rely on manually generated weather reports produced earlier in the day. However, the airline is poised to adopt two new apps powered by technology firm The Weather Company, providing access to up-to-the-minute weather data for its pilots and flight planning teams.

The Guidor app will equip pilots with comprehensive insights into weather conditions along flight paths, enabling them to make informed decisions before departure and during flight. Concurrently, the WSI Fusion app will empower the carrier’s Integrated Operations Control to precisely assess and respond to weather changes in real-time, complementing the capabilities of Guidor.

BA is the first UK airline to integrate these cutting-edge apps, underscoring their potential to enhance operational efficiency by facilitating better planning and adaptation of flight paths in response to weather fluctuations.

This innovative technology follows BA’s recent implementation of the Electronic Aircraft Maintenance (eLog) system, which streamlines data transfer from aircraft to engineers, expediting issue resolution through pre-ordered parts and reducing downtime.

René de Groot, Chief Operating Officer at British Airways, expressed enthusiasm for the transformative impact of these apps, highlighting their ability to enable faster decision-making through real-time collaboration between pilots and ground-based operational colleagues. This collaboration will prove invaluable for tasks such as diversion planning and recovery, ultimately ensuring smoother and more efficient flight operations.