On March 23, World Meteorological Day is celebrated around the world. This date originates from the date of adoption of the Convention of the International Meteorological Organization, held on March 23, 1950.

World Meteorological Day (Meteorologist Day) is a sign of respect and gratitude to people who have chosen interesting, at the same time very difficult profession.

Currently, within the republic the Aviation Meteorological Center is functioning in Dushanbe city and three Civil Aviation Meteorological Stations in Khujand, Kulob and Bokhtar cities where in total more than 40 specialists are engaged in weather observation and forecasting for the Republic of Tajikistan airports.

Aviation meteorologist is a specialist who collects information on weather conditions for flights. Weather is one of the main risk factors for aviation. However, when it comes to ensuring flight safety, the focus is on pilots, dispatchers, or rescuers. At the same time to ensure flight safety aviation meteorologists play the important role. Meteorologists collect and process data and provide aviation users with accurate and reliable information regarding weather.

Namely, often their work helps to prevent aviation dangers and ensure flight safety. Aviation meteorology is one of the applied fields of meteorology in general.

From this point of view, the path to the profession goes not only through specialized aviation universities but also through specialized universities in geography, geodesy, climatology, etc. However, in the end, from aviation meteorologists are required to have a particularly high level of professionalism. For this purpose for the last 5 years, 40 specialists of the enterprise Meteorological Aviation Center and Civil Meteorological Aviation Stations on its branches have successfully graduated training in the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Additional Professional Education “Institute for Advanced Training of Managers and Specialists” (FSBEI APE “IAT”) of Moscow, Russian Federation and received diplomas and certificates.

Short-term aviation forecasts are very different from long-term weather forecasts. Preparing short-term weather forecasts is more difficult than long-term weather forecasts because it should be accurate and reliable. The Engineer-Meteorologist prepares short-term forecasts for users of international and domestic routes, i.e. local routes. The forecasts apply not only to the area around the airport but also to areas along the route. In addition, the group of engineers warns of meteorological phenomena that may adversely affect aircraft on the ground and in the air.

Furthermore, the center experts prepare monthly samples and climate tables of the country’s four airports.

Along with accurate forecasting, the speed of information dissemination and timely warning have crucial importance, where aviation meteorology as the main source of information puts its activities with the latest meteorological equipment and programs. Additionally, taking into consideration industry development and modern equipment availability by enterprise management efforts, about 90 percent of the forecasts and observations of the center specialists are correct and accurate.

Regular support of the enterprise management and providing the Aviation Meteorological Center with modern technical equipment, attracting more of them to additional professional training motivated employees that contributed to improving the quality of collection and processing of accurate information in a wide range of atmospheric parameters, such as wind speed and direction, cloud cover, the possibility of turbulence, icing at different altitudes, pressure, increase vertical and horizontal visibility.

Taking into consideration that on the eve of the International Navruz festivities the International Day of Meteorologists celebrating all over the world, we congratulate the representatives of this sphere, especially the employees of the enterprise Aviation Meteorological Center and all employees who work honestly and responsibly in this complex and painstaking field, wish them wisdom and foresight, because passenger safety, pilots health and aircraft safety in the air closely related from the knowledge, skills and experience of meteorologists!

                           Maina Mamadnosirova

                           Muhabbat Ibrohimzoda

                   SUE “Tajikairnavigation” employees