Flybe and AirDat LLC, a private US-based weather forecaster, have announced a partnership to provide real-time metrological data for Europe directly from Flybe’s 83-strong fleet of aircraft.

Flybe aircrafts will be the first in Europe to carry AirDat’s proprietary Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) sensor. The sophisticated airborne weather sensor streams atmospheric data in real time from the aircraft to AirDat’s data centre. From there, the information is quality checked, processed, and assimilated into TAMDAR-optimised, high-resolution forecast models for European weather customers.

The initial phase of the installation will see 20 aircraft equipped by May 2012collecting more than 1,000 unique weather observations each day. AirDat’s TAMDAR system will, in turn, provide weather data and operational benefits to Flybe, including enhanced Iridium-based satellite voice and data communications capability, automated weather reports and real-time flight and departure information for passengers.

The combination of AirDat’s advanced proprietary weather modelling capabilities and Flybe’s extensive route network – which covers 96 airports and 17 countries – will enable AirDat to offer substantially improved weather data, modelling, and forecasting capabilities to customers throughout Europe.

The partnership will ultimately equip up to 100 Flybe aircrafts with the TAMDAR system, generating nearly 20,000 daily weather observations (up to 1200 vertical ‘soundings’ when equated to the weather balloon system) throughout the UK and Western Europe. The system will provide Flybe with expansion opportunities in the areas of volcanic ash sensing and data transmission, as well as on-board Wi-Fi, credit card processing and aircraft data management and communications. This will be possible via the concurrent integration of US-based Avionica’s satLINK integrated communications module.