FAIRFAX, Va. - The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a contract to CGI Federal Inc. in Fairfax, Va., to lead the modernization of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, a key safety tool used to communicate essential flight information to pilots and air traffic personnel across the National Airspace System (NAS).
The NOTAM system alerts aviation stakeholders to real-time hazards and changes in flight conditions, such as runway closures, airspace restrictions, and equipment outages, that could affect aircraft operations. Currently, the system relies on legacy infrastructure and text-based alerts that can be difficult to interpret quickly. These notices are disseminated in a coded format and often lack filtering, requiring pilots and dispatchers to sort through large volumes of information manually.
CGI Federal, a wholly owned subsidiary of CGI Inc., will lead a team that includes Google Public Sector, NG Aviation, and Mosaic ATM to replace the aging system with a cloud-based, modernized platform. The new system is expected to provide near-real-time data exchange, improved clarity of alerts, better stakeholder collaboration, and more robust security and resilience.
House passes bill to improve FAA system that grounded flights
"CGI Federal is proud to partner with the FAA on accelerating the delivery of a modernized NOTAM system," said Alisa Bearfield, senior vice president of CGI Federal’s Civilian Business Unit. "We are drawing on nearly four decades of global aviation experience and our work with federal agencies to help improve the safety, resilience, and reliability of our airspace."
The FAA faced pressure to upgrade the NOTAM system following a nationwide ground stop in January 2023, triggered by a system failure that resulted in thousands of flight delays and cancellations. The modernization seeks to address such vulnerabilities and improve the overall performance and usability of the system.
The new NOTAM system will be built on FedRAMP's high-compliant cloud services to ensure it meets strict federal cybersecurity standards. The FAA has not yet disclosed a timeline for full deployment.
