GEN 3.5 — Meteorological Services

Responsible Authority

Meteorological services for civil aviation within the Damascus FIR are provided by the Syrian Meteorological Department in accordance with ICAO Annex 3 — Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation.

MET Services Provided

Routine aerodrome weather reports (METAR/SPECI)
Terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAF)
SIGMET and AIRMET advisories
Pre-flight meteorological briefings and flight documentation
En-route weather information via VOLMET (128.400 MHz)
Aerodrome warnings
Wind shear warnings

Pre-flight Documentation

Pre-flight meteorological documentation is available at MET offices at each international airport (OSDI, OSAP, OSLK). Documentation includes:

Route forecast and significant weather
Destination and alternate aerodrome forecasts
Wind and temperature data for filed cruising levels
Current METAR/SPECI for departure, destination, and alternates
SIGMET/AIRMET information for the route of flight

VOLMET Service

Damascus VOLMET is broadcast on 128.400 MHz providing current METAR reports for OSDI, OSAP, OSLK, and regional airports. Broadcasts repeat on a 5-minute cycle.

Meteorological Watch Office (MWO)

Item	Detail
MWO Name	Damascus MWO
Location	Damascus International Airport (OSDI)
ICAO Designator	OSDI
Operating Hours	H24
Responsibility	SIGMET, AIRMET, aerodrome warnings, wind shear warnings for Damascus FIR

ATIS / Automated Weather Services

ATIS: Not currently available. Aerodrome weather information is provided via ATC voice on TWR/APP frequencies
AWOS: Not installed. Manual surface observations are performed by MET observers at OSDI, OSAP, OSLK

MET Watch and Warnings

The Damascus MWO maintains continuous MET watch for the Damascus FIR (OSTT)
SIGMET advisories are issued for: thunderstorms (TS), severe turbulence (SEV TURB), severe icing (SEV ICE), mountain waves (MTW), volcanic ash (VA), sandstorms/dust storms (SS/DS)
Aerodrome warnings are issued for: wind shear at low levels, thunderstorm activity near aerodrome, visibility below 800m, crosswind exceeding limits

Transition Altitude / Transition Level

Per AIP ENR 1.7 — Altimeter Setting Procedures:

Aerodrome	Transition Altitude (TA)	Transition Level (TL)	Notes
OSDI Damascus	8000 ft	Variable (ATC)	Published in AD 2.1
OSAP Aleppo	8000 ft	Variable (ATC)	Published in AD 2.2
OSLK Lattakia	6500 ft	Variable (ATC)	Published in AD 2.3
OSDZ Deir ez-Zor	5000 ft	Variable (ATC)	Published in AD 2.4
OSKL Kamishly	5000 ft	Variable (ATC)	Published in AD 2.5

The standard pressure setting of 1013.2 hPa shall be set by all aircraft when climbing through the Transition Altitude. Transition Level is variable, determined by ATS unit based on prevailing QNH.

MET Observation Stations

Station	ICAO	METAR	TAF	Hours
Damascus	OSDI	Yes	Yes	H24
Aleppo	OSAP	Yes	Yes	H24
Lattakia	OSLK	Yes	Yes	H24
Deir ez-Zor	OSDZ	Yes	No	By arrangement
Kamishly	OSKL	Yes	No	Seasonal

SIGMET Issuance

SIGMET advisories for the Damascus FIR are issued by the Damascus Meteorological Watch Office (MWO) at OSDI. The MWO operates H24 and monitors for significant meteorological phenomena including thunderstorms, turbulence, icing, mountain waves, volcanic ash, and sandstorms.