SECRETARY’S NOTAM PROMISE –TIME AND TEST
Below are two articles chronicling the Trump Administration’s expedited efforts to replace an antiquated and much maligned NOTICE TO AIRMAN–
- the first in time is the DOT Secretary’s April 21, 2025 announcement of his team’s innovative acquisition program (Challenge Based Acquisition) to design a new, dramatically improved NOTAM system, with:
- streamlined, modern interface, near-real-time data exchange, efficient data flows, securely hosted in the cloud and has a scalable and resilient architecture designed for high availability
the Secretary promised that his new NOTAM would be
-
- delivered by the contractor by July 2025
and
- deployed for service by SEPTEMBER 2025
- On September 30, 2025, the Secretary headlines (ostensibly he?) “Deploys Brand New ‘Notice to Airmen’ System”
- In the body of the press release, a more accurate, specific and less dramatic statement reveals-
- “on September 29, initially distributing NOTAMs to early adopter stakeholders. This initial deployment establishes the framework for the new service, enabling testing and validation with early user adopters. THE FULL TRANSITION TO THE NEW SINGLE-SOURCE NOTAM SERVICE IS ON TRACK FOR LATE SPRING 2026.”
▬►Flight Global’ s headline about the Secretary’s press release is a fairer description of the accomplishment
US FAA expects full transition to modernised NOTAM system in spring 2026
Apologies for a seemingly petty critique but the Secretary set the standard by proclaiming –
“THIS IS THE PROMISES MADE, PROMISED KEPT ADMINISTRATION”
Not exactly by their own words. Aside from its own stated timeline (initially distributed, framework, early adopters, full transition in LATE SPRING), what is most concerning is the lack of explanation of how the Big Beautiful New NOTAM has been redesigned and proven–
- to include all of the technical upgrades (leading edge? State-of-art?)
- to be integrated, installed nationwide
- able to receive and display the 4 million NOTAMS submitted annually
- with access by all the users.
- in a new more readable format?
- on a real time, 100% reliable basis
Kudos to CGI if they were able to perform all of the tests of the system since April. Or is the late SPRING FULL TRANSITION an acknowledgement that this September start date for early adopters REALLY a start of a FIELD TEST date. Uber speed in implementation is not always the safest pace to safety.
The promise’s proof is in the pudding?
FAA Accelerates Critical Technology Upgrade
Monday, April 21, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is accelerating the modernization of a critical safety system that alerts pilots and flight planners about airspace changes.
The FAA will deploy a new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) service this year, much earlier than originally planned. The FAA used a streamlined, innovative vendor challenge to cut through red tape to get this critical work done as fast as possible.
“The Notice to Airmen system is deeply outdated and showing serious cracks,” said U.S. 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. 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.”
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 modernization will provide near-real-time data exchange, enabling efficient dataflows and better stakeholder collaboration. The system will be securely hosted in the cloud, and it will have a scalable and resilient architecture.
A major NOTAM system outage in January 2023 highlighted the fragility of the system and the need to speed up the modernization.
The FAA selected CGI Federal, Inc., to work on modernizing the NOTAM system and deploying the service.
CGI IS CURRENTLY ON AN ACCELERATED SCHEDULE TO DELIVER THE NOTAM MODERNIZATION SERVICE BY JULY 2025, AND THE FAA IS TARGETING DEPLOYMENT OF THE OPERATIONAL SERVICE BY SEPTEMBER 2025.
“Americans deserve the best aviation system in the world,” said Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau. “We worked with the best and brightest and came up with an accelerated approach to bring our technology into the 21st Century.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Deploys Brand New ‘Notice to Airmen’ System to Provide Critical Alerts About Airspace Changes
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
The new safety system is the next step in delivering a state-of-the-art air traffic control system
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary SEAN P. DUFFY today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) HAS DEPLOYED THE FIRST PHASE of a brand-new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) service months ahead of schedule. The NOTAM service, which provides critical safety alerts about changes in the airspace, was originally built in 1985. It has experienced multiple outages in recent years, including a 2023 nationwide failure under the last administration. This important deployment milestone was achieved on-time and on-budget after Secretary Duffy accelerated the modernization effort.
“This is the PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT ADMINISTRATION. We are bringing our aviation system into the 21st century at lightning speed to enhance safety in our skies. The new NOTAM system is an important proof point of how we can quickly and effectively modernize our skies under the leadership of President Trump,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
The new NOTAM Management Service (NMS) began operations on September 29, initially distributing NOTAMs to early adopter stakeholders. This initial deployment establishes the framework for the new service, enabling testing and validation with early user adopters. THE FULL TRANSITION TO THE NEW SINGLE-SOURCE NOTAM SERVICE IS ON TRACK FOR LATE SPRING 2026.
“We built a brand-new NOTAM service from the ground up in record time,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “It is resilient, user-friendly, and scalable, and will significantly improve airspace safety and efficiency.”
Additional Information:
NOTAMs communicate temporary changes such as runway closures, airspace restrictions, and obstructions to pilots and flight planners. More than 4 million are issued annually.
The new NMS has a streamlined, modern interface. It provides near-real-time data exchange, enabling efficient data flows and better stakeholder collaboration. The system is securely hosted in the cloud and has a scalable and resilient architecture designed for high availability.
The FAA 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[1] to cut through red tape to get this work done as fast as possible. In collaboration with CGI Federal[2], the agency developed the new service while engaging with the stakeholders who use it.
The new initial core distribution services will operate in parallel with the existing legacy NOTAM System for the next few months.
The next phase of the NOTAM modernization will be complete in February 2026 when the new service fully replaces the legacy and aging US NOTAM System (USNS) that runs on outdated hardware and software.
Full transition will be complete in late Spring 2026. This involves migrating more than 12,000 NOTAM users worldwide, enabling the retirement of the second legacy system called the Federal NOTAM System (FNS). This transition will establish NMS as the single authoritative source for all NOTAMs, delivering a modern, reliable foundation for the national airspace system.
[1] Challenge-Based Acquisition
- Phase I: Vendors submitted concept papers outlining their proposed solutions.
- Lightning Partnering Sessions: The FAA hosted virtual events to encourage collaboration among vendors, allowing smaller firms with niche expertise to team up with larger integrators.
- Evaluation Criteria: Focused on technical innovation, scalability, compliance with aeronautical data standards, and cloud-based architecture
[2] Montreal-based IT consulting firm CGI Inc. is seeing a slowdown in US government contracts, but says it might be temporary. The company’s US subsidiary, CGI Federal, provides services to federal agencies and departments, including those in defense.
