The NOTAM system is a critical warning system used by the FAA to highlight hazards that could pose a risk to pilots in the U.S.
Thousands of flights were delayed Wednesday morning and hundreds have been canceled as a result of a computer system failure at the Federal Aviation Administration.
While details are still coming out about the source of the problem, the FAA has said a failure of the NOTAM system overnight caused the world’s largest aircraft fleet to be grounded for hours.
NOTAM stands for Notice to Air Missions, and is an online alert system used by the FAA to warn pilots of dangers along their flight paths.
The NOTAM system is designed to provide pilots and air traffic controllers with critical information before taking off, like runway hazards or adverse weather conditions.
John DeCarlo, professor at the University of New Haven and commercial pilot, told WTIC that the NOTAM system affects every part of a flight.
„It’s the news station of the skies,“ he said. „It literally tells us everything that’s happening across the country, locally and far away from where we’re taking off.“
Before or during a flight, NOTAMs can be issued to pilots warning them of problems such as storms developing over their destination airport.
Usually, the notices are provided to pilots as part of their pre-flight planning, allowing the pilots to set a flight path that avoids any dangers.
