All‑Weather Operations Rules: Staying Legal When It’s Thin, Dark, or Icy
As winter tightens its hold across Europe, let’s talk about the regulations designed to keep airports, crews, and aircraft operating safely in low‑visibility, snow‑covered, or otherwise degraded conditions. These rules fall under the EASA All-weather Operations rules and apply to take‑offs, approaches, landings, taxiing, and ground ops in winter-specific scenarios.
In 2022, EASA revised the then existing legislation on All Weather Operations (AWO). As the upcoming months are associated with an increased likelihood of low visibility operations, this article aims to review why this regulation was changed and what the changes means for operators.
It then provides an overview of wider aspects of what are termed AWO.
Why did EASA decide to change All Weather Operations?
The explanatory note for the EASA decision to amend All Weather Operations highlights that innovative technologies on board aircraft are considered to have the potential to increase the level of safety through enhanced situational awareness, thus reducing the risk of loss of control. These new technologies offer operational benefits in terms of reduced RVR, lower DA/H values and/or compensation for downgraded, failed, or unavailable ground equipment. The regulations were changed to accommodate these benefits and improve operational flexibility.
What were some of the more significant changes applicable to operators?
Separating approach design from flight operations
Technological developments have resulted in the ability to fly approaches using different techniques (for example the ability to fly a “conventional” VOR approach with both lateral/ vertical guidance using FINAL APP or Fail-Operational Landing Systems (FLS) on aircraft in our fleet. To allow operational credit for this (and other) technological developments, flight operations and approach design were separated from each other:
Approach design is based on system minima divided into Type A (>= 250’) and Type B (< 250’) approaches.
Flight Operations are divided into 2D (without vertical guidance) and 3D (with vertical guidance) operations
This was already introduced by ICAO prior to the latest update on EASA All Weather Operations, though has now been formalized. With this formalization, depending on what type of operation is used (2D/3D), benefit can be gained in terms of for example visibility requirements for certain procedures.
⚙️What is AWO?
The term All‑weather Operations refers to activities conducted when visibility is reduced, or when runway/taxi conditions prevent normal visual reference, such as during snow showers or when parts of the manoeuvring area are obscured from tower visibility.
Key components include:
Low‑visibility procedures (LVP). When runway visual range (RVR) drops below approximately 550 m (threshold dependent), or ATC no longer has full visibility.
Reduced Aerodrome Visibility Conditions (RAVC). Conditions where pilots or controllers cannot visually monitor certain movement areas.
Authorities now require operators and aerodromes to coordinate tightly to manage all-weather conditions with a shared set of procedures and responsibilities.
Why This Matters in Winter
Snow, ice and/or poor lighting can significantly reduce visibility.
RVR below 550 m or partial loss of tower visibility triggers the activation of LVP/RAVP protocols.
Operational coordination between airlines, dispatch, ATC, aerodrome operators and safety teams becomes more critical than ever.
Human factors such as communications and teamwork become even more important to ensure everyone has the same mental model of what is going on, particularly when lots of people are relying on automation to aid decision-making.
CAT III classification and minima
As the terms “precision approach” and “non-precision” approach have disappeared with the above explained separation between approach design and flight operations, the CAT III classifications have also been revised for some parts of our fleet. The main change is that CAT III operations are now divided into CAT III with DH and CAT III NO DH. A further related change in the EASA update was that CAT III operations with a DH 50>=DH<100 now have an RVR of 175m instead of 200m before the change.
Alternate Planning minima
Planning minima for destination alternate and fuel enroute alternate aerodromes have also been updated. Ensure awareness of these when selecting a suitable alternate.
Preparing for All-weather Challenges
Who Is Responsible for What?
Aerodrome operators maintain necessary lighting, runway markings, and ensure ground movement can be monitored or safely controlled during low visibility.
Air operators (including Safewings) must have documented LVP in their respective operations manuals, including decision-making rules and crew qualifications.
Flight crew must respect minima derived from LVP; cross-check visual cues with RVR and AIP data.
ATC/Apron services need shared situational awareness and must coordinate closely with ground and flight crews.
Everyone has a shared responsibility for positive communication (with lots of cross-checking) and close teamwork to ensure safe operations.
Key Concept of AWO: A Total‑system Approach to Safety
We now must think beyond aircraft and pilots. AWO requires alignment of multiple systems:
Certification standards (CS‑AWO) now cover aircraft, crew, aerodromes, training and procedures.
Use of advanced vision systems (such as Enhanced Flight Vision Systems (EFVS), autoland and Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS)) is explicitly allowed to enhance performance and lower minima at airports lacking traditional navigation infrastructure.
These changes mark a shift toward risk-based performance rather than technology-based rules. A coordinated and collaborative human factors approach.
EASA All‑weather Ops - Safety Pillars Summary
🧠 Mindset
Assume winter weather can trigger formal LVP activation. Stay aware. Ask yourself: is this operation still compliant under LVPs?
👥 People
Everyone needs training on the following things, but it is important to make it relevant (at the right time of year when the information is useful) and engaging:
GRF/RAVC criteria.
LVP.
Reduced visibility taxiing and runway ops.
Use of vision systems like EFVS or autoland where applicable.
⚙️ Equipment
AWO rules require:
Functional runway lighting, SMR and stopbars.
Augmented equipment (e.g. EFVS and HUD).
Aircraft systems certified for low‑visibility ops as per CS‑AWO.
📋 Compliance
Strict minima apply:
RVR below threshold must trigger LVP.
Pre-departure checks for visibility.
LVP phases must be declared, complied with and logged.
Use approved checklists and SOPs.
⚠️ Risks
Non-compliance carries high risk:
ATC and crew misalignment during taxi or approach.
Misinterpretation of RVR or visibility status.
Runway incursions or mis-taxi in low visibility.
📚 Learning
Post-season debriefs should include:
Were LVP consistently followed?
Any confusion during changing visibility needs documenting.
Observations on new EFVS use or manual adaptation at less-equipped airports.
Occurrence Example: Taxi into the Mist
A Safewings A320 crew departed during deteriorating visibility. RVR dropped from 600 m to 480 m during taxi. LVP should have triggered but was not declared. The aircraft taxied combining visual cues and some electronic assistance. During its turn onto the runway, the aircraft came within 10 m of a stationary tug.
Findings:
ATC did not activate LVP quickly enough.
Crew was not explicitly briefed on LVP status.
No standard procedure to halt the aircraft until RVR confirmation.
Actions:
Safewings added cockpit and dispatch protocols when RVR <550 m.
ATC coordination now includes dual confirmation protocols in reduced visibility conditions.
Training sessions on LVP triggers repeated across ramp and flight crews.
Final Word
Winter brings visibility limits, and safe operations rely on everyone working together as a system-wide team. This takes proper planning, robust procedures and joint awareness across airline, crew, aerodrome and ATC. As a collective, we can keep operations safe even in the fog and snow.
Think system-first and let the rules and procedures guide every winter move.
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