U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has successfully implemented phase one of an overhaul of the “Notices to Airmen (NOTAM)” system. This system — which is decades old — is essential to facilitating air travel because it provides pilots with the information they need to fly safely. Upgrading it will prevent nationwide airspace shutdowns, enhance safety, and improve communications.
“The last administration handed us a 40-year old aviation alert system on the verge of complete collapse,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Instead of waiting for another nationwide ground stop, we moved at the Speed of Trump to build a brand new, modern system — and we did it years ahead of schedule. Successfully completing Phase One of the NOTAM transition is just another example of how the Trump Administration is tackling the toughest challenges and delivering results.”
FLASHBACK: The old legacy system was prone to failure leading to a full NOTAM shutdown in January 2023 that grounded flights nationwide. The previous administration said this would take until late 2027.
FASTFORWARD: Thanks to Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the FAA moved the NOTAM system into the cloud in April 2026, completed Phase 1 of the modernization effort at record speed, and are well on our way to transitioning the entire system.
“Our transition to this state-of-the-art NOTAM system strengthens safety and reliability across the National Airspace System,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “We are focused on building a modern aviation system for the future – one that is resilient, efficient, and capable of meeting the demands of the world’s busiest airspace.”
Additional Information:
NOTAMs communicate temporary changes such as runway closures, airspace restrictions and obstructions, to pilots and flight planners. More than 4 million NOTAMs are issued annually.
The Trump Administration accelerated its NOTAM modernization efforts after the existing system experienced repeated failures, including outages that heavily impacted travelers.
The FAA used a streamlined, innovative vendor challenge to cut through red tape to get this work done as fast as possible. In collaboration with CGI Federal, the agency developed the new service while engaging with the stakeholders who use it.
The FAA is transitioning to the NMS in phases. In the first phase, the FAA shut down the legacy US NOTAM System (USNS), and thousands of users transitioned over to the new service in mid-April.
The next phase will occur later this year as the FAA will retire the other legacy system — the Federal NOTAM Service (FNS). The NMS will then be the single authoritative source for all NOTAMs, delivering a modern, reliable foundation for the National Airspace System.
