Runway safety, particularly around runway excursions, is one of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) top aviation safety priorities. ICAO has developed a system for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions, known as the Global Reporting Format (GRF).
The GRF provides an international standard method of assessing and reporting runway surface conditions which impact on flight operations.
ICAO developed GRF to help improve flight crew assessment of take-off and landing performance. It also helps mitigate the risk of runway excursions.
What the GRF does
The GRF establishes a standard process on how to inspect, assess, report, and use wet and contaminated runways.
It provides uniformity and consistency in the assessment and reporting of runway surface conditions when contamination, mainly due to adverse weather conditions, is present.
Organisations also use GRF to correlate the reported runway surface condition and aircraft performance data.
Assessing and reporting the condition of the movement area and particularly the runway surface is necessary. This provides flight crew with the information needed for safe operation of the aeroplane.
Who the GRF applies to
The GRF applies to all certified aerodromes in Australia.
Transition timeframes
There will be a phased transition to the new rules for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions. All certified aerodromes need to implement the new rules by:
- 1 August 2024 – controlled aerodromes and certified aerodromes with scheduled Part 121 operations
- 1 February 2025 – all other certified aerodromes.
We amended Part 139 and Part 91 Manuals of Standards to facilitate the introduction of GRF in Australia.
We have also published an advisory circular that provides guidance on implementation of the GRF.
We have published an:
to assist aerodrome operators with including the procedures for the GRF in aerodrome manuals. This document can be added as an appendix to an aerodrome manual, including by those operators using the Manual authoring and assessment tool.
What aerodrome operators need to do
Aerodrome operators must conduct runway serviceability inspections under certain circumstances, for example weather-related or prior to scheduled air transport operations. The inspection must assess the runway surface conditions for the presence of water, snow, slush, ice or frost on an operational runway.
From this assessment, aerodrome operators will assign and report a runway condition code through a runway condition report. Aerodrome operators only provide a runway condition report if they know there are aeroplane operations. For example, they know about scheduled or notified in advance to the aerodrome operator by the aeroplane operator.
Aerodrome operators provide the runway condition report to air traffic control (ATC), NOTAM Office (NOF) and/or pilots.
The aerodrome operator provides the runway condition report to pilots via NOTAM. They also can provide it to pilots through UNICOM or CA/GRS, if the service is provided.
At a controlled aerodrome, the aerodrome operator does not need to report a wet or dry runway if there is an agreement in place between the operator and ATC. Aerodrome operators do not need to report wet runways to the NOF.
What aircraft operators and pilots need to do
The GRF regulations seek to provide timeliness, uniformity and consistency in the assessment and reporting of runway surface conditions. This provides pilots and flight crew with the necessary information to make informed decisions about using a wet or contaminated runway.
Pilots can use the runway condition report to help calculate landing and take-off performance. That is, additional runway length required for landings and take-offs, on wet or contaminated runways.
Whenever runway braking action is not as good as currently reported, pilots must inform ATC through a Special Air-Report (AIREP SPECIAL). At non-controlled certified aerodromes, pilots must notify the aerodrome operator when runway braking action is not as good as currently reported.
What ATC needs to do
Aerodrome operators provide assessment and reporting for wet and dry conditions to ATC at controlled aerodromes. This is unless an agreement is in place between the aerodrome operator and ATC for ATC to provide the assessment and report. For other runway surface conditions, the aerodrome operator will provide a report to ATC.
ATC will pass the information on to pilots using standard phraseology or communicating the runway condition report through automated means. An automated means might include the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS).
At aerodromes that are non-controlled, pilots will receive contaminated runway reports (NOTAMS) through provision of a flight information service (FIS) by ATS.
ATC may receive an AIREP SPECIAL about how braking action on the runway is not as good as it was reported. If ATC receive an AIREP SPECIAL, they will forward the AIREP to other pilots and the aerodrome operator.
Training available
The runway condition report puts into place a common language between all runway safety participants. The report is based on the impact of runway surface conditions on aeroplane performance. It is therefore necessary that all participants, from aerodrome operators to pilots and aeroplane operators have the appropriate training.
Our advisory circular (91-32 and 139-22) includes an example for training aerodrome operator personnel and flight crew. It includes:
- runway surface condition assessment reporting (Appendix D)
- contaminated runway operations (Appendix E).
Online courses for aerodrome personnel and aircraft operators and flight crew are available through ICAO: The New Global Reporting Format for Runway Surface Conditions.