Automatic terminal information service, or ATIS, is a continuous broadcast of recorded aeronautical information in busier terminal areas. ATIS broadcasts contain essential information, such as current weather information, active

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

s, available approaches, and any other information required by the pilots, such as important

NOTAM A NOTAM (ICAO & FAA: Notice to Airmen, CAA: Notice to Aviation or, for the FAA from 2021 to 2025, Notice to Air Missions) is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a loca ...

s. Pilots usually listen to an available ATIS broadcast before contacting the local control unit, which reduces the controllers' workload and relieves frequency congestion. ATIS was developed and adopted by the FAA in the mid-1960s and internationally (under the direction of

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

) beginning in 1974. Before the adoption of ATIS, this information was routinely disseminated to each aircraft separately, increasing controller workload during periods of high traffic density. In the U.S., ATIS will include (in this order): the airport or facility name; a phonetic letter code; time of the latest weather observation in UTC; weather information, consisting of wind direction and velocity, visibility, obstructions to vision, sky condition, temperature, dew point, altimeter setting, density altitude advisory if appropriate; and other pertinent remarks, including runway in use. If it exists, the weather observation includes remarks of lightning, cumulonimbus, and towering cumulus clouds. Additionally, ATIS may contain man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) alert and advisory, reported unauthorized laser illumination events, instrument or visual approaches in use, departure runways, taxiway closures, new or temporary changes to runway length, runway condition and codes, other optional information, and advisories. The recording is updated in fixed intervals or when there is a significant change in the information, such as a change in the active runway. It is given a letter designation (alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.) from the

ICAO spelling alphabet The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet or simply the Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear-code words for communicating the letters of the Latin/Roman ...

. The letter progresses through the alphabet with every update and starts at ''alpha'' after a break in service of twelve hours or more. When contacting the local control unit, pilots indicate their ''information '', where is the ATIS identification letter of the ATIS transmission the pilot received. This helps the ATC controller verify that the pilot has current information. Many airports also employ the use of data-link ATIS (D-ATIS, introduced in 1996). D-ATIS is a text-based, digitally transmitted version of the ATIS audio broadcast. It is accessed via a

data link A data link is a means of telecommunications link, connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a t ...

service such as the ACARS and displayed on an electronic display in the aircraft. D-ATIS is incorporated on the aircraft as part of its electronic system, such as an EFB or an FMS. D-ATIS may be incorporated into the core ATIS system or be realized as a separate system with a data interface between voice ATIS and D-ATIS. The ATIS is not to be confused with the

METAR METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by aircraft pilots, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting. Raw METAR is highly standardize ...

, which will not contain certain information such as the runway in use.

Sample messages

Example at a General Aviation airport in the UK ( Gloucestershire Airport)

International Airport Example 1

See

for a more in-depth explanation of aviation weather messages and terminology.

Example 2

This example was recorded on 11 July 2016 at London Stansted Airport during which time there were ongoing maintenance works taking place on the taxiway surface in a part of the airport near the cargo terminal; the ATIS broadcast reflects this.

Example 3

This message was recorded at Manchester International Airport on the 9th of August 2019

References

{{Reflist

External links

Canada ATIS frequencies

Sydney Australia live web-based ATIS

Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service
SkyVector: Flight Planning
Abbreviated U.S. airport pop-up ATIS information Telecommunications-related introductions in the 1960s Telecommunications-related introductions in 1974 Air traffic control Airport infrastructure