Use of Noncertified Weather Observations in Noncontiguous States

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION N 8900.763

NOTICE

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Effective Date: 1/13/26 National Policy Cancellation Date: 1/13/27 SUBJ: Use of Noncertified Weather Observations in Noncontiguous States 1. Purpose of This Notice. This notice announces revisions to guidance on reviewing and approving the use of noncertified weather observations in noncontiguous states. This notice contains guidance that is pertinent to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 135.213.

2. Audience. The primary audience for this notice is the Flight Standards Safety Assurance offices’ aviation safety inspectors (ASI) assigned to 14 CFR part 135 operators and combined 14 CFR part 121/135 operators (operating under their 14 CFR part 135 authority) conducting instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in Alaska and Hawaii. The secondary audience includes the Safety Standards and Foundational Business offices.

3. Where You Can Find This Notice. You can find this notice on the MyFAA employee website at https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov . Operators and the public can find this notice on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_no tices and DRS.

4. Background. Paragraph (a) of Section 339 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Public Law (PL) 118-63 (May 16, 2024), which amends Section 322 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, PL 115-254 (October 5, 2018), clarifies the conditions under which a 14 CFR part 135 operator may conduct an instrument approach to a destination in a noncontiguous state that has a published instrument approach but does not have a Meteorological Aerodrome Report.

Paragraph (b) of Section 339 requires the Administrator to develop an application template for use by those operators applying for permission to conduct the activities described under paragraph (a), enabling FAA inspectors to objectively evaluate that operator’s application.

5. Discussion. In compliance with Section 322 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 and Section 339 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the FAA has amended the following: a. FAA Order 8900.1, Flight Standards Information Management System. Changes to the guidance include: (1) Volume 3, Chapter 18, Section 3, Part A Operations Specifications—General. The updated section references the new reauthorization requirements.

Distribution: Electronic Only Initiated By: AFS-200

1/13/26 N 8900.763 (2) Volume 3, Chapter 26, Section 1, Approved Weather Sources and Specific Regulatory Requirements—14 CFR Parts 91K, 121, 125, and 135. The updated section references the new reauthorization requirements.

(3) Volume 3, Chapter 26, Section 2, Regulatory Sources of Aviation Weather Information and Aviation Weather Information Systems—14 CFR Parts 91K, 121, and 135. The updated section references the new reauthorization requirements.

(4) Volume 3, Chapter 26, Section 8, Use of Noncertified Weather Observations in Noncontiguous States. This revised section explains the evaluation and approval requirements for weather information from a noncertified source and includes a new template for evaluating an application of an air carrier to use noncertified destination weather observations.

b. Advisory Circulars (AC) (current editions). AC 135-45, Use of Noncertified Weather Observations in Noncontiguous States. The updated AC references the new reauthorization requirements and includes a new template for approval of a departure and en route weather evaluation.

6. Action. Principal inspectors (PI) who have oversight responsibilities for certificate holders (CH) operating under IFR in noncontiguous states should review the revised Order 8900.1 guidance listed above for approving use of weather information from a noncertified source and should utilize the new template when evaluating an operator’s request to add these sources for use in IFR operations.

7. Disposition. We will incorporate the information in this notice into Order 8900.1 before this notice expires. Direct questions or comments concerning the information in this notice to the Air Transportation Division (AFS-200) at 9-AFS-200-Correspondence@faa.gov.

Robert Reckert for Hugh Thomas Acting Executive Director, Flight Standards Service