SPREP and PASO join hands for safer skies across the Blue Pacific

29 May, 2026, Honiara, Solomon Islands – Safe air travel across the Pacific depends on more than aircraft and airports; it depends on accurate, reliable and sustainable weather services that connect island nations, support disaster response and protect lives every day.

This was the central message as meteorological and civil aviation leaders from across the Pacific gathered in Honiara, Solomon Islands this week for the Joint Pacific Islands Meteorological Services and Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) Directors Meeting.

With aviation serving as a lifeline for many Pacific countries, the meeting highlighted the urgent need to strengthen aviation meteorological services amid growing operational pressures, workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, increasing climate-related risks and cost recovery for sustainable operations.

Hosted by the Government of Solomon Islands, the Joint Pacific Islands Met and CAA Directors Meeting was organised in partnership with the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through its Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Program.

Delivering the keynote address to officially open the meeting, Solomon Islands Government Deputy Secretary Madame Agnetha Vave Karamui said the Pacific could not afford to treat aviation weather services as an afterthought.

“Across our Blue Pacific, aviation connects our people, supports emergency response, trade, tourism and national development. Behind every safe flight is a strong meteorological service, and strengthening these services is essential for the safety and resilience of our region,” said Ms Karamui.

Compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) standards is not optional. It is fundamental to aviation safe-ty, operational credibility, and international confidence in our aviation systems. Many Pacific Island countries continue to face challenges in maintaining compliance due to limited tech-nical capacity, aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasing operational demands, and constrained national budgets which needs special attention she added.

The meeting brought together Directors of Meteorological Services, Civil Aviation Authorities, regional organisations, technical partners and development agencies to discuss compliance with international aviation weather standards, long-standing infrastructure gaps and sustainable financing solutions for the region.

PASO Council Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ministry of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure (MWTI) in Samoa, Mr Fui Tupai Mau Simanu said strengthening aviation meteorological services was fundamental to maintaining confidence in Pacific aviation systems. “Reliable aviation weather services are not optional; they are essential for safe and efficient air travel across our region. Stronger collaboration between meteorological services, civil aviation authorities and partners is critical if we are to address existing deficiencies and build resilient aviation systems for the future,” he said.

Pacific Met Directors and CAA leaders acknowledged that while many Pacific Island countries continue to benefit from donor-supported upgrades to forecasting systems, observation networks and telecommunications infrastructure, maintaining these systems over the long term remains a major challenge.

Speaking on behalf of SPREP and PASO during the opening was Director of Climate Science and Information at SPREP, Mr Salesa Nihmei. Mr Nihmei touched on the importance of regional collaboration and Pacific-led ownership as critical to ensuring aviation weather services remain operational and sustainable into the future: “The Pacific faces unique challenges due to geography, scale and limited resources, but we also share a strong commitment to protecting our people and strengthening regional connectivity. This meeting is about finding practical solutions together to ensure aviation weather services remain reliable, sustainable and fit for purpose.”

Throughout the meeting, the importance of addressing compliance gaps with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards was highlighted, including strengthening coordination between MET Services and Civil Aviation Authorities, and improving sustainable financing and cost recovery approaches.

“Safe and reliable aviation across the Pacific depends on strong meteorological services, but also on our ability to work together as a region to close existing gaps and ensure long-term sustainability. PASO remains committed to supporting our member States to strengthen compliance, improve coordination, and build resilient systems that keep our skies safe,” said PASO General Manager Mr Silimana’i Ueta Solomona.

The meeting also emphasized the need to include regional initiatives in these discussions such as Weather Ready Pacific (WRP), the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS), Partnerships for Aviation (P4A) and other partnerships supporting technical capacity, governance and infrastructure improvements across the Pacific.

Looking ahead, an important outcome from this meeting will be the development of a Pacific Aviation Meteorology Improvement Roadmap that will identify priority areas for collaborative action to strengthen aviation safety across the region.

SPREP and PASO have an Memorandum of Understanding formalising their shared commitment to improving Met Services for Pacific aviation. The Joint Pacific Islands Meteorological Services and Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) Directors Meeting and Roadmap work is made possible through this partnership, and through the support of key partners and projects: the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, and Solomon Islands, as well as the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), New Zealand Met Service, WRP Programme, Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications Programme (ClimSA), P4A, and CASA Australia.

The meeting was held at the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Conference center in Honiara, Solomon Islands on 28 May, 2026.

For more information on the meeting or about PASO please visit www.paso.aero or contact Mr Tyrron Lam at [email protected], or Mr ‘Ofa Fa’anunu at [email protected].