What is NOTAM?

A Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert pilots, air traffic controllers, and others of safety hazards, changed aeronautical facilities, or changes in flight operations (like runway closures, airspace restrictions, navigation aids being out of service). For example, a NOTAM might warn about unexpected obstacles on a runway or closed airspace due to military activity.

NOTAMs are vital for ensuring safe flight operations because they communicate time-sensitive information that may not be included in standard aeronautical charts. They can have wide-ranging impact; for example a NOTAM system outage led to flight disruption in the U.S. in 2023.