NOTAMS Transitioning to ICAO Format
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By December 2024, all NOTAMs issued by the FAA will be distributed using the ICAO format.
In this article:
- WHY ARE NOTAMS TRANSITIONING TO THE NEW ICAO FORMAT?
- HOW TO READ THE NEW ICAO NOTAM FORMAT
- WHAT IS THE NOTAM SERIES?
- WHAT IS THE NOTAM ACTION (N,R,C)?
- AN ICAO NOTAM EXAMPLE
- WHAT IS IN THE NOTAM QUALIFIER LINE?
WHY ARE NOTAMs TRANSITIONING TO THE NEW ICAO FORMAT
Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) provide pilots, operators, and aircrews with essential information about the abnormal status of a component of the national airspace system that could affect a flight from being completed as planned. Yet, because of how NOTAMs are currently written, pilots often can’t identify or miss critical flight information about where they can fly and any issues with departure or arrival airports.
To help address this serious safety risk, the FAA is making the data more accessible and readable by adopting the ICAO standardized format. Essentially, NOTAMs will be much easier to read and interpret.
HOW TO READ THE NEW ICAO FORMAT
The ICAO NOTAM contains specific mandatory and optional fields similar to the domestic NOTAM format with the addition of the qualifier line which is described in further detail below.
WHAT IS THE NOTAM SERIES
In the ICAO format, NOTAMs are organized by series, with each series covering a specific NOTAM condition. The NOTAM series replaces the keywords previously used in the domestic format. The Series is the first element of the NOTAM, followed by the NOTAM Number. NOTAMs are numbered consecutively by Flight Information Region (FIR), and series beginning with S0001 each year. The FAA will utilize 13 different series for NOTAMs as follows:
WHAT IS THE NOTAM ACTION
The Action indicates the type of NOTAM:
- NOTAM(N) contains New information
- NOTAM(R) Replaces previous NOTAM
- NOTAM(C) Cancels previous non-auto cancel NOTAM
AN ICAO NOTAM EXAMPLE
In this example, we will examine a NOTAM issued for the Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD) closing Runway 05L/23R for a specific period of time.
In the current (traditional) NOTAM format, the notice would read:
!ORD 02/001 RWY 05L/23R CLSD 2202141700-2202141900
In the new ICAO format, the same information would be presented as follows:
B0667/22 NOTAMN
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
A) KORD
B) 2202141700
C) 2202141900
E) RWY 05L/23R CLSD
WHAT IS IN THE NOTAM QUALIFIER LINE
A qualifier line contains coded information, coordinates, and radius for area for the automated filtering of NOTAMs.
The first element of the qualifier line is the Flight Information Regions (FIR) In the US, the FIR identifier is an ARTCC identifier. In the example above, KZAU (Chicago) is used as the FIR.
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The second element of the qualifier line is the NOTAM code. The NOTAM Code forms the basis upon which NOTAM qualifiers TRAFFIC, PURPOSE, and SCOPE are determined for inclusion in Item Q) of the NOTAM Format, in addition to defining the abbreviated plain-language text which appears in Item E). All NOTAM code groups contain a total of five letters and the first letter is always the letter Q. The second and third letters identify the subject. In this example, MR, indicates Runway (specific runway).
The fourth and fifth letters denote the condition of the subject being reported. In this example, LC, indicates Closed.
The ICAO NOTAM decode tables are found in Appendix B of Order 7930.2T, but again, the plain language associated with these codes is found in line E of the ICAO NOTAM.
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The third element, traffic qualifier, relates the NOTAM to a type of traffic and allows retrieval according to the user’s needs. Depending on the NOTAM subject and content, the qualifier field TRAFFIC may contain the combined qualifiers. This example displays IV as the Traffic.
Type of Traffic:
I – Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
V – Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
K – NOTAM is a Checklist
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The fourth element, purpose, relates a NOTAM to certain purposes (intentions) and thus allows retrieval according to the user’s requirements. Depending on the NOTAM subject and content, the qualifier field PURPOSE may contain combined qualifiers. This example displays NBO as the Purpose.
Purpose description
N – selected for the immediate attention of aircraft operators
B – selected for pre-flight information briefing
O – concerning flight operations
M – not subject for briefing, but is available on request
K – is a Checklist
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The fifth element, scope, is used to categorize NOTAMs. Depending on the NOTAM subject and content, the qualifier field SCOPE may contain combined qualifiers. This example uses A as the scope.
Scope Description
A – Aerodrome
E – Enroute
W – Navigation warning
K – Checklist
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The sixth element is the lower and upper limits. The lower and upper limit field applies mainly to airspace related NOTAMs. Most aerodrome-related information, qualifier scope ‘A’, refers to ground installations for which the insertion of lower/upper limit is not relevant. Therefore, such NOTAMs must include the default values of 000/999.
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
The final element contain coordinates. The coordinates represent the coordinates of the point of influence, or the approximate center of a circle whose radius encompasses the whole area of influence. It is specified by an 11-character latitude and longitude. This example displays 4159N0875W as the coordinates.
Q)KZAU/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4159N0875W005
DOWNLOAD THE ICAO NOTAM FORMAT EXAMPLE HERE.
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