Took a Major System Outage To Finally Put the Feds in Check…

After a major NOTAM system outage caused a nationwide ground stop in 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration finally decided that it is ready to make a change. The agency is working with CGI Federal to get an upgrade in place sometime this year.

“The Notice to Airmen system is deeply outdated and showing serious cracks,” said US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen multiple system outages ground regional air travel, create extensive delays, and otherwise ruin the flying experience for the American people.” 

On January 11, 2023, a contractor accidentally deleting a few files from the NOTAM database caused the first nationwide ground stop since 2001. More than 11,000 flights were disrupted in the more than 10 hours that the system was inoperative.

Shortly after the incident, the FAA shared its plans to discontinue parts of the older NOTAM system in mid-2025. It also claimed that it would have a replacement in place in 2030.

However, the agency decided to step up its game by instating a vendor challenge that would skirt time-consuming government procedures. It landed in a partnership with CGI Federal to develop a NOTAM Modernization Service. If all goes to plan, the system will be handed to the FAA in July 2025 and deployed by September 2025.

“It’s time our technology enters the 21st Century. NOTAM modernization is the first step as we work to deliver an all-new air traffic control system that makes air travel safer and more efficient,” Duffy continued.

Though this is “ahead of schedule” on Federal terms, the aviation industry has been not-so-patiently awaiting change for years. For a system that holds so much responsibility over flight safety by providing runway closure, airspace change, and obstruction data to pilots, keeping NOTAMs operational should be high on the priority list.

FMI: www.faa.gov