Regulatory Alert: FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After NOTAM System Outage; Asks Airports to Review Recently Issued NOTAMs

Early on January 11, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop after the agency experienced an overnight outage to its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which provides critical safety information to flight crews. The news has been widely reported across multiple news outlets. According to FAA, the agency had ordered airlines to pause domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time. The ground stop was lifted, however, just before that time after FAA was able to restore the NOTAM system and validate the integrity of the information in the system. FAA has stated that normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually, and they will be looking into the cause of the initial problem.

AAAE has been in communication with FAA this morning about the outage. Just a short time ago, FAA Office of Airports sent a message to all airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), asking that they review any NOTAMs issued after 1805Z on January 10, 2023, to ensure they represent the current condition for the airport. The message provided:

Dear Colleagues:

The Notice To Air Missions (NOTAMs) system is being restored after a system outage occurrence that began earlier this morning, 11 Jan 2023. 

With the restoration of the NOTAM system, all airport operators must review airport NOTAMs issued after 1805Z 1/10/2023 to ensure they represent the current condition for the airport.

Please ensure your NOTAMs accurately reflect current conditions for your airport.

The NOTAM system outage has already attracted the attention of the White House and lawmakers. President Biden's Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, stated that there is 'no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed [the Department of Transportation] to conduct a full investigation into the causes.' Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) stated that the Senate Commerce Committee will be 'looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages.' This will be in addition to an examination of the operational issues that Southwest Airlines recently experienced over the holidays.

Please reach out to Justin Barkowski if your airport needs any assistance, as we are in regular communication with FAA on this issue.