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Is AIRMET Being Phased Out?

It’s a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no.

Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 10:12 AM ET

Verified

Effective on or about January 27 at 1900Z, the legacy AIRMET over the six regions of the conterminous U.S. will finally be retired. [FLYING file photo]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA/National Weather Service has been working to phase out the legacy Traditional Alphanumeric Code (TAC) AIRMET for nearly two decades.
Graphical AIRMETs (G-AIRMETs) were introduced in 2008 and became the operational replacement for pilots in 2010.
Effective January 27 at 1900Z, the legacy AIRMET for the conterminous U.S. will be formally retired, making G-AIRMET the sole official advisory for that region (Alaska and Hawaii are unaffected).

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Question: Is AIRMET being phased out?

Answer: It has been nearly two decades since the FAA/National Weather Service (NWS) began a formal effort to move away from what was officially called the Traditional Alphanumeric Code (TAC) AIRMET or more simply, the “legacy” AIRMET.

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