The name might sound daunting, but it's actually easier than it sounds and it brings standardization across the industry.
Background
After a runway overrun at Chicago Midway during a snowstorm in 2005, an Aviation Rulemaking Committee was tasked to provide guidance for the assessment of take-off and landing performance for contaminated runways. This committee was called TALPA ARC (Take-off And Landing Performance Assessment Aviation Rulemaking Committee). The main findings were that there's no standardization worldwide to report runway conditions, no clear regulation for crews on how to assess landing performance and no correlation between reported runway condition and aircraft performance data.
Implementation date
After some delay due to the pandemic, the GRF is already implemented in a few countries since August 2021 and ICAO Worldwide Implementation is planned for November 2021.
Differences between old format and new Global Reporting Format
| Old Format | New GRF |
Runway conditions reported in | METAR/SPECI - State of the Runway (MOTNE) | State of the Runway (MOTNE) no longer reported in METAR/SPECI |
Pilot Reports | PIREP optional to share experiences, e.g. braking action | ⚠️ AIREP mandatory after landing if braking action worse than reported |
ATIS Runway Condition Reports | Condition reports fot the whole runway | RWY condition reports in thirds of the runway (excluding SWY) based on SNOWTAM |
SNOWTAM FORMAT OLD |
A) EADD B) 12220945 C) 08L F) 5/5/5 G) 2/2/3 H) 2/1/1 N) 5 P) YES30 B) 12221020 C) 08R F) 1/1/1 G) XX/XX/XX H) 5/5/5 N) 5 P) YES30 R) NO S) 12221145 T) RWY 08L CONTAMINATION 100 PERCENT. RWY 08R CONTAMINATION 100 PERCENT - WET DUE TO CHEMICAL SPRAYING. ALL TWY CONTAMINATED AT 100 PERCENT. |
SNOWTAM FORMAT NEW |
(COM header and abbreviated header) GG EADBZQZX EADNZQZX EADSZQZX 170229 EADDYNYX SWEA0151 EADD 02170225 SNOWTAM 0151 (Aeroplane performance calculation section) EADD 02170055 09L 5/5/5 100/100/100 NR/NR/03 WET/WET/WET SNOW 02170135 09R 5/2/2 100/50/75 NR/06/06 WET/SLUSH/SLUSH 02170225 09C 2/3/3 75/100/100 06/12/12 SLUSH/WET SNOW/WET SNOW (Situational awareness section) RWY 09L SNOW BANK R20 FM CL. RWY 09R ADJ SNOW BANKS. TWY B POOR. APRON NORTH POOR |
Runway contaminants are now reported in plain text (e.g. WET SNOW), instead of a 1-9 code like it used to be, that saves us one more table to learn.
Runway braking condition is now reported as Runway Condition Code (RWYCC) and does not use measured or calculated coefficient anymore, it's derived from the Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM) below and has the following levels:
0 | Less than Poor |
1 | Poor |
2 | Medium to Poor |
3 | Medium |
4 | Good to Medium |
5 | Good |
6 | N/A |
ICAO decided not to provide a friction value anymore. However, airport operators may still decide to use such measurement devices, essentially to downgrade the RWYCC.
Another important change is that SNOWTAMs used to be issued only during the winter season and valid for 24h. Now they are issued year round (due to water contaminants) and are valid for 8 hours.
Runway Condition Assessment Matrix
RWYCC | Runway surface description | Aircraft deceleration or directional control obervation | Pilot report of runway braking action |
6 |
| ||
5 |
Up to and including 3mm depth:
| Braking deceleration is normal for the wheel braking effort applied AND directional control is normal | Good |
4 | Up to and including 3mm depth:
-15℃ and lower outside air temperature:
| Braking deceleration OR directional control is between Good and Medium. | Good to Medium |
3 |
More than 3mm depth:
Higher than -15℃ outside air temperature:
Runway surface temperature should be used if possible. | Braking deceleration is noticeably reduced for the wheel braking effort applied OR directional control is noticeably reduced. | Medium |
2 | More than 3mm depth:
| Braking deceleration OR directional control is between Medium and Poor. | Medium to Poor |
1 |
| Braking deceleration is significantly reduced for the wheel braking effort applied OR directional control is significantly reduced. | Poor |
0 |
The airport operator may assign a higher RWYCC (not higher than code 3) for each third of the runway | Braking deceleration is minimal to nonexistent for the wheel braking effort applied OR directional control is uncertain. | Less than Poor |
Downgrading the RWYCC
The airport operator will consider downgrading the RWYCC based on friction measurement, AIREPs or other observations that give evidence of reduced deceleration and lateral control capability. It's recommended to include the phrase "RWYCC DOWNGRADED" into the report to inform the crew that there's a deviation from the RCAM.
Upgrading the RWYCC
The RWYCC may be upgraded, specially on prepared winter runways, with the following limitations:
The observed runway surface condition matches RWYCC 0 or 1; and
The airport operator has treated the runway to an extent that provides good braking action (RWYCC 5);
Then the airport operator may upgrade the RWYCC to 3.
Just like the downgrade, airport operators are encouraged to include the phrase "RWYCC UPGRADED" into the report.
Examples of SNOWTAM
GG EADBZQZX EADNZQZX EADSZQZX
170100 EADDYNYX
SWEA0149 EADD 02170055
(SNOWTAM 0149
EADD
02170055 09L 5/5/5 100/100/100 NR/NR/03 WET/WET/WET SNOW)
GG EADBZQZX EADNZQZX EADSZQZX
170229 EADDYNYX
SWEA0151 EADD 02170225
(SNOWTAM 0151
EADD
02170225 09L 2/3/3 75/100/100 06/12/12 SLUSH/WET SNOW/WET SNOW
RWY 09L SNOW BANK R20 FM CL. RWY 09R ADJ SNOW BANKS. TWY B POOR. APRON NORTH POOR)
Runway Condition Report (RCR)
A Runway Condition Report has to be provided for any runway that is not dry. All operational runways must be assessed.
The RCR will be made available for flight crews and AIS via SNOWTAM, FICON, AMSCR and ATIS/D-ATIS.
An RCR is valid for 8 hours, after that period, if no new RCR is issues, the old RCR is considered expired and it can be assumed that there's no more significant runway surface condition to be reported.
Key Reminders:
MOTNE no longer reported in METAR/SPECI
Runway condition is now reported for each third of the runway.
Only the lower RWY designator is shown, when using the opposite runway, use the SNOWTAM information in reverse order.
RCR will be available from different sources. For pilots, SNOWTAM and ATIS/D-ATIS will be the easiest ones.
Pilots must inform ATS, via AIREP, whenever runway conditions are not as good as currently reported.
If you need a quick reference card to study, we got that covered for you 😉:
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