Airline safety system must wait years to fix

U.S. 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.

House lawmakers are scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday on aviation safety at which they’re likely to raise questions about the Jan. 11 meltdown of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Notice to Air Missions system, or Notam. While the FAA has taken steps to ensure that the platform won’t fail again, its problems go far deeper after years of neglect.

Notam produces bulletins for pilots flying in the U.S. about any safety issues along a route. Pilots are required to check them before departing.

But according to government records, industry groups and dozens of pilots, the system is packed with unnecessary information, 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 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.

The soonest the FAA can complete the work is 2030 “based on the current funding,” the agency said in a statement.