Tokyo-Jan, 2009 – Weathernews (Head Office: Minato Ward Tokyo. Global Chairman and CEO: Hiroyoshi Ishibashi), the world's largest publicly traded full service weather company, has announced that it will start providing weather-driven operational support service for China's national flag carrier, Air China (Head office: Beijing, China. General Director: Cai Jian Jiang) from January, 2008. Service will focus on support for safe flight operations, responding to the needs of the expanding airline. Weathernews has provided the same service for China Eastern Airlines since 2005.

Air China was established in 1988 when the General Administration of Civil Aviation in China was deregulated, and broken up into different carriers. It is now a global company that operates 4,160 flights a week to 106 destinations in 22 countries. In 2008, it was the only airline to be an official partner of the Beijing Olympics. By supporting management of flight operations based on actual weather conditions, the safety and efficiency of each and every Air China plane will be optimized.

The service menu Weathernews provides Go/No-Go Decision Support which includes flight following to support Hold or Divert decisions. In particular, Weathernews' service menu for Sky will improve safety and convenience for Air China passengers by carefully taking into consideration the effects of weather on all flight operations from take off up to landing at the destination. Weathernews' Risk Communication services go beyond the just a simple forecast by including weather risk analysis to support operational decision making for route planning and flight cancellation to help to optimize management decisions and improve efficiency for all flight operations.

sing a state-of-the-art weather analysis and prediction system called FOSTER, Risk Communicators well versed in aviation weather and airline operations work from Weathernews' Global Center in Japan provide service 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. Through the company's global management program specialized for flight operations, operators are provided with regular updates on weather conditions that affect air traffic. Along with this net-based application, Weathernews hosts briefings for pilots and managers through a video-conferencing system to support global management operations.

For more than 20 years, Weathernews has supported operational decisions for customers in the field of aviation through the use of aeronautical weather data, providing a solid foundation of experience for its service to international air carriers like Air China. Weathernews continues to develop its services to the airline industry to ensure efficient operation management, passenger safety and comfort.