Paste any NOTAM below to get an instant, color-coded breakdown of every field. Supports ICAO and FAA formats.
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By Renzo, CPL · Updated March 2026
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Start for $7.49/moNOTAM stands for Notice to Air Missions (formerly Notice to Airmen). It is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations, alerting pilots to potential hazards, changes, or restrictions along a flight route or at a specific location.
NOTAM D (Distant) covers information about airports and navigation facilities such as runway closures, lighting outages, and navaid shutdowns. FDC NOTAMs (Flight Data Center) are regulatory in nature and cover changes to instrument approach procedures, aeronautical charts, TFRs, and other flight restrictions issued by the FAA.
The Q-line (Qualifier line) is the machine-readable portion of an ICAO-format NOTAM. It contains the FIR code, NOTAM code (subject and condition), traffic type (IFR/VFR), scope (aerodrome/en-route/navigation warning), lower and upper altitude limits, and geographic coordinates with radius. It allows automated filtering and distribution of NOTAMs.
NOTAM dates use the format YYMMDDHHmm, where YY is the 2-digit year, MM is month, DD is day, HH is hours, and mm is minutes. All times are in UTC (Zulu). For example, 2603121400 means March 12, 2026 at 14:00 UTC. The keyword PERM indicates a permanent change with no expiration.
A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) is issued as an FDC NOTAM under 14 CFR 91.137, 91.138, 91.141, or 91.145. TFRs restrict flight in specific areas for reasons such as presidential movement, disaster relief, sporting events, or space operations. They define a geographic area, altitude range, and effective period.
PERM in Item C (expiration) means the condition described in the NOTAM is permanent. There is no planned end date. Examples include permanent runway closures, permanent changes to lighting systems, or permanent frequency changes. These NOTAMs remain active until explicitly cancelled.
Item F specifies the lower altitude limit and Item G specifies the upper altitude limit of the affected airspace. These are typically given in feet above ground level (AGL) or above mean sea level (AMSL), or as flight levels (FL). For example, F) GND and G) FL180 means the restriction applies from the ground up to Flight Level 180.
Pilots should check NOTAMs as part of every preflight briefing, per 14 CFR 91.103. This includes NOTAMs for the departure airport, destination, alternate airports, and along the route of flight. NOTAMs can be issued at any time, so checking shortly before departure is essential. Many pilots also check NOTAMs the night before and again on the morning of the flight.
The ICAO NOTAM format standardizes NOTAMs worldwide and uses lettered fields: Q) qualifier line, A) location, B) effective from, C) effective until, D) schedule, E) plain-text description, F) lower limit, and G) upper limit. The FAA adopted the ICAO format in 2021 and also changed the name from Notice to Airmen to Notice to Air Missions.
NOTAMs are available through the FAA NOTAM Search (notams.aim.faa.gov), Leidos Flight Service (1800wxbrief.com), ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, and other EFB applications. International NOTAMs are available through ICAO or individual country AIS (Aeronautical Information Services) websites. Always use official sources for flight planning.
A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) is a notice distributed by aviation authorities to alert pilots of potential hazards, changes, or temporary restrictions along a flight route or at a location. NOTAMs are part of the preflight briefing requirement under 14 CFR 91.103 and are critical for safe flight planning.
NOTAMs cover everything from runway closures and taxiway construction to temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), navaid outages, lighting failures, airshow activity, and even crane erections near airports. They are issued 24/7 and can appear at any time, which is why checking NOTAMs shortly before departure is essential.
The ICAO NOTAM format is the international standard adopted by most countries, including the United States (since 2021). Each NOTAM follows a structured layout with lettered fields:
Q) FIR/QCODE/TRAFFIC/PURPOSE/SCOPE/LOWER/UPPER/COORDS
A) LOCATION B) FROM C) UNTIL
D) SCHEDULE (optional)
E) PLAIN TEXT DESCRIPTION
F) LOWER LIMIT G) UPPER LIMITBefore 2021, the FAA used its own domestic NOTAM format that was different from the ICAO standard. The legacy FAA format used keywords like !FDC and !KJFK prefixes and did not include a Q-line. In January 2021, the FAA transitioned to the ICAO format to standardize with the rest of the world.
| Feature | ICAO Format | Legacy FAA Format |
|---|---|---|
| Q-line | Yes (machine-readable) | No |
| Structured fields | A through G | Free-form with keywords |
| Date format | YYMMDDHHmm | YYMM/DDHHmm (varied) |
| Used by | Worldwide (ICAO states) | US domestic (pre-2021) |
| Altitude limits | F) and G) fields | Embedded in text |
NOTAM D covers information about aerodromes and navigation facilities that is essential for flight operations. Examples include runway closures, taxiway restrictions, lighting outages, frequency changes, and NAVAID shutdowns. These are the most common type of NOTAM and are distributed through the US NOTAM System.
FDC NOTAMs are regulatory notices issued by the FAA Flight Data Center. They cover changes to instrument approach procedures, aeronautical chart amendments, Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), and other regulatory items. FDC NOTAMs take precedence over published chart information.
TFRs are issued as FDC NOTAMs and restrict or prohibit flight in specific airspace. They are issued under 14 CFR 91.137 (disaster/hazard), 91.138 (national disaster), 91.141 (presidential/VIP movement), or 91.145 (aerial demonstrations and sporting events). Violating a TFR can result in certificate action, civil penalties, or interception by military aircraft.
NOTAM L contains information that is only relevant to local operations at a specific airport. These are not distributed beyond the local area and typically cover items like taxiway markings, local construction activity, or bird activity. They are available from the local Flight Service Station.
Military NOTAMs cover military-specific information such as MOA (Military Operations Area) activations, restricted area scheduling, and military airport status. These are distributed through military channels but relevant portions are also available to civilian pilots through standard briefing sources.
Here is a real-world example NOTAM decoded step by step:
A0123/26 NOTAMN
Q) ZNY/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4038N07346W005
A) KJFK B) 2603150800 C) 2603201800
E) RWY 04L/22R CLSD DUE TO CONSTRUCTION
F) SFC G) UNLMore free tools: METAR Decoder · TAF Decoder · Crosswind Calculator · E6B Flight Computer · Holding Pattern Entry · VOR Simulator