Meteorology Directorate Staff Participate in Training Course on New Radar System

Minister of Transportation and Acting Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board HE Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed has emphasized the importance of training and developing young Bahraini talent working in different sectors in line with contemporary technological developments. In a move to reinforce young talent working at the Ministry of Transportation Meteorology Directorate, the Minister’s statements were made at a meeting with six Meteorology officers who are taking part in two key intensive training courses: the first held in France this week, and another being held in the USA during the first week of May.

The training will focus on a new radar system which measures wind and temperatures in the atmosphere, and records climate conditions that impact aircraft take-off and landing especially in lower altitudes.

During the meeting, His Excellency stressed the Ministry’s commitment to building a core foundation of exceptional, highly qualified Bahrainis who will in turn be capable of leading the Ministry in all its key business areas and who will, in the future, train successor generations and assume leadership roles. The importance of this specific training, aimed at enhancing security and safety with the latest technology, feeds into the Kingdom’s overall policies of incorporating technology for enhancing welfare and economic development.

In addition, the radar system will enable the expansion of the current database system and establish a database for higher winds that can then be used in the future for research and forecasting purposes, resulting in significant technological advancement for the Kingdom.

Speaking about the importance of the new radar system, Adel Daham, Director of Meteorology at the Ministry of Transportation said that the Ministry has recently installed the system which will first and foremost enhance safety standards and will also measure wind speed and direction, temperatures in the atmosphere at different altitudes above the Kingdom varying from 5-8 kilometres. This will help companies and clients using Bahrain International Airport in both take-off and landing.

In addition, the information will assist in predicting weather phenomena that affect aircraft’s safety during landing and take-off such as wind shear and prediction of low level temperature inversion, and will also assist with low flying aircraft and those that take-off and land vertically.