Altitude

The weather influences all our lives, from whether you’ll regret not taking that umbrella to wishing you’d packed the sun cream, but for air traffic control the weather is an obsession.

Rain, wind, snow, fog and thunderstorms can all conspire to overturn well-rehearsed plans, resulting in a hugely challenging and complex environment where maintaining safety is always the first priority.

But why does a storm in Athens leave you grounded in Glasgow? What exactly are the most challenging conditions to cope with and what are the tools that air traffic controllers and meteorologists employ to minimise the disruption? And how will a rise in extreme weather conditions affect operations in the future?

Join us as we explore all these questions and more with UK Met Office Meteorologist Emma Corrigan, air traffic flow and capacity management expert, Kevin Morgan, and air traffic controller and host, Fran Slater.