U.S.: FAA to Deploy New NOTAM System Following Multiple Failures
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced this Monday that it will deploy a new NOTAM system by September, in response to a series of failures that have raised concerns about national aviation safety.
An Outdated System in Need of Replacement
The current “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) system, responsible for communicating critical information to pilots, crews, and operations personnel—such as runway closures, airspace restrictions, and navigation aid maintenance—has experienced a series of critical failures in recent years.
In January 2023, the system collapsed, leading to a nationwide ground stop—the first since 2001—disrupting over 11,000 flights. Additional outages occurred on February 1 and March 22, 2025, the latter due to a hardware failure that left the system offline for more than three hours.
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CGI Federal to Lead the Transformation
The FAA has selected CGI Federal to lead the modernization of the system. The new platform, dubbed the NOTAM Modernization Service, is expected to be delivered by July, with deployment scheduled for September.
Although the agency did not disclose the value of the contract, National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) President Nick Daniels was blunt in presenting figures to Congress: “At a minimum, the FAA needs $154 million just to investigate a replacement. But to completely replace the broken system, it will require $354 million.”
A Congressional Mandate Arrives Late
Pressure to modernize the system has been mounting. In March, a bipartisan group of six lawmakers, led by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Shelley Moore Capito, reminded the FAA that Congress had already passed a law requiring the agency to implement a new NOTAM system and a backup by September 2024—a deadline that has already been missed.
The modernization aims to create a safer platform with real-time data sharing and cloud support, essential features for a system that handles over 4 million alerts annually.
Aviation Infrastructure in Crisis
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently warned that the air traffic control infrastructure requires a deep overhaul. He plans to request tens of billions of dollars from Congress for a multi-year reform, which includes hiring personnel for an FAA also grappling with staffing shortages.
“The NOTAM system is deeply outdated and showing serious cracks,” Duffy said. His statement underscores the urgency of advancing this modernization before another major disruption occurs.
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