Airline safety system must wait for 2030 fix

US aviation authorities are years behind on updating the critical-alert system that failed spectacularly last month, causing thousands of flight disruptions. Critics say the delay is a threat to passenger safety.

NOTAM produces bulletins for pilots flying in the US about any safety issues along a route. They could include anything from broken airport lights to an emergency closing of airspace, such as when the FAA temporarily suspended flights along the US East Coast on Feb. 4 during the military mission to destroy a Chinese surveillance balloon. Pilots are required to check them before departing.

But according to government records, industry groups, and dozens of pilot reports, the system is packed with unnecessary information that’s difficult to sort, and its antiquated language makes the bulletins hard to comprehend. The FAA acknowledges the shortcomings and plans improvements, but acting Administrator Billy Nolen notified House lawmakers Jan. 27 that fixes wouldn’t be fully completed until 2030. Congress first ordered the agency to begin upgrading the NOTAM system in 2012.

The 2030 date is several years later than industry groups were told as recently as last year, according to two people familiar with FAA briefings who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue.

“Those complaints have been around for a long time,” said Jim McClay, director of airspace, air traffic and security at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The soonest the FAA can complete the work is 2030 “based on the current funding,” the agency said in a statement. The FAA is looking for ways to accelerate the work, it said.

The FAA has made progress in modernizing the bulletins in recent years, creating a more user-friendly interface and cutting the volume of notices. The agency is seeking to improve it further and asked for $29.4 million this year to address “failing vintage hardware.”

Overall, the FAA’s $3 billion budget for facilities and equipment is the same as 2009 levels, even without accounting for inflation.