What is the role of METAR in flight operations?

The role of METAR in flight operations is to report current weather conditions at an airport. METAR stands for Meteorological Aerodrome Report, and it is a standardized format for reporting weather observations essential for pilots and air traffic controllers. This information includes temperature, dew point, wind direction and speed, visibility, cloud cover, and significant weather phenomena. Pilots rely on METAR reports to make informed decisions regarding takeoff and landing, ensuring safety during flight operations.

The other options do not pertain to the function of METAR reports. While forecast details for long flights are useful, they fall under TAF reports rather than METAR. Aircraft maintenance schedules and passenger load information are administrative and operational aspects of flight management but are not related to current weather reporting, which is the primary focus of METAR.