The Australian Bureau of Meteorology International Development Program is partnering with the Samoa Meteorological Service (SMS) and the Samoa Airport Authority with support from the Australia-Pacific Partnerships for Aviation (p4A) program to build capacity in Samoa for the provision of aviation weather services. 

A major milestone was recently achieved with the installation of an Automated Weather Observing Station (AWOS) at Fagali’i International Aerodrome in Apia. This AWOS provides observers, air traffic controllers, and pilots with real-time, high precision weather data through a suite of sensors including an ultrasonic wind sensor, visibility meter, ceilometer (cloud height), temperature and humidity probe and precision rain gauge. 

Following the hardware installation, SMS, SAA, and Bureau staff have worked together in recent weeks to operationalise the Fagali’i AWOS with 24/7 supported Starlink connectivity, and the installation of multiple displays for visualisation of the aerodrome data at Fagali’i International Aerodrome, Faleolo International Aerodrome, and the Samoa Weather Forecasting Centre headquarters. Operationalisation of this AWOS represents a lasting investment in the safety and resilience of aviation weather services not only in Samoa but across the Pacific.