What a NOTAM is and how to read one

Why NOTAMs matter, the parts of a NOTAM decoded, and a simple way to find the few that affect your flight.

The short answer

A NOTAM (notice to air missions) tells you about temporary changes that affect flying: closed runways, restricted areas, broken navaids, cranes, air displays and more. Checking the NOTAMs for your route, departure, destination and alternate is part of every flight preparation.

The key fields

• Q line: a coded summary with the FIR, subject, and the height band it applies to
• A: the aerodrome or FIR affected
• B and C: start and end time in UTC
• D: a schedule, if it is not active all the time
• E: the plain language text
• F and G: lower and upper limits

Cutting through the noise

Briefing systems often return dozens of NOTAMs. Filter by your route corridor and the altitude you plan to fly, read every one for your aerodromes, and pay special attention to temporary restricted and danger areas. Many briefing tools can draw them on a map.