Pilotcenter.net News: Federal Aviation Administration's NOTAM System Regains Full Operation

After experiencing a temporary shortage, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) computer system is now back up and running, announced US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The FAA officially confirmed on February 2, 2025, that the NOTAM system, crucial for providing real-time updates affecting flight safety, is once again "online and operational."

The disruption, which began on February 1, 2025, prompted Secretary Duffy to assure aviation stakeholders that all active NOTAMs were accessible until the system went down. To mitigate the impact, the agency promptly activated its contingency measures to support pre-flight briefings and ensure the continuity of flight operations.

Secretary Duffy took to X to provide updates on the situation, acknowledging that while efforts are underway to fully restore the system, residual delays may be experienced in the coming days. Emphasizing the need for an upgrade, Duffy elaborated, "We are investigating the root cause, and we will provide updates. The FAA has established a hotline to keep communication open with the aviation community and will issue status updates every 30 minutes."

The FlightAware data painted a telling picture of the operational challenges faced during the outage, with 3,226 delays and 174 cancellations recorded on the first day, followed by an uptick to 4,875 delays and 277 cancellations on February 2, 2025.

Marking February 3, 2025, as the day of the NOTAM system's restoration, a significant drop in disruptions was observed, with a total of 496 delays and 101 cancellations reported. Looking to expedite the much-needed upgrades, Secretary Duffy shared in an interview with CNN, "There's a process in place right now to get this system fixed. We want to expedite that and get this new system in place. This is an old system that needs to be upgraded."

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical role of technology in air travel, with global implications underscored by a similar IT outage in July 2024 that saw thousands of flight delays and cancellations worldwide.