April 8, 2026
The FAA will soon take a significant step forward in modernizing the NOTAM service with the shutdown of the existing US NOTAM System (USNS) and cutover to a new and more robust system in the morning hours of Saturday, April 18.
The transition will take place between midnight and 4 a.m. EDT. During that time, NOTAMs active prior to the maintenance window will be available via all normal distribution channels. The FAA also recommends using FNS NOTAM search to ensure operators receive the most timely and accurate information.
After 4 a.m. EDT on that date, NOTAMs obtained through the FNS page and third-party providers will come through the NOTAM Management Service (NMS), although operators shouldn’t notice any differences.
“The cutover and transition are expected to be completely transparent to operators,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA vice president of air traffic services and infrastructure. “We don’t anticipate hiccups.”
The FAA has worked to upgrade the NOTAM system for several years, but those efforts accelerated following the January 2023 system outage that grounded morning departures for 90 minutes across the National Airspace System.
Launched in early 2025, development of the NMS targeted performance-based solutions to specific issues, over a broader technical overhaul, with the FAA soliciting user feedback to identify resolutions.
While NOTAMs will continue to be presented in their current format under the NMS, Williams noted the new infrastructure offers greater capability to ultimately present NOTAMs in an easier to understand layout that is more relevant and accessible to users.
“Ultimately, these changes are for the good of the system,” she added, “because we need redundancy and resiliency. That is what the NMS provides above all else.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.