US lawmakers press FAA on recent outages of pilot messaging database

A bipartisan group of six U.S. lawmakers has questioned the Federal Aviation Administration about recent outages of the "Notice to Airmen" system that provides pilots, flight crews and others with critical safety notices about U.S. airspace. The system failed in February and March. The lawmakers, led by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Shelley Moore Capito, noted in a letter seen by Reuters that Congress passed legislation requiring the FAA to implement a modernized NOTAM system and backup system by September 2024 -- a deadline the agency missed. "Travelers deserve flights that are safe and on time. We urge you to ensure that a modernized NOTAM system is implemented in a timely manner," they wrote in the letter also signed by Republican Senator Jerry Moran, who chairs an aviation subcommittee, and Tammy Duckworth, the top Democrat on the panel. The FAA did not immediately comment. The system most recently failed on March 22 for more than three hours due to a hardware issue. On Feb 1, the system also suffered a failure. "What caused the recent NOTAM outages? What steps is the FAA taking to mitigate future outages?," the lawmakers wrote. Notices from the system could include items such as taxiway lights being out at an airport, nearby parachute activity or a specific runway being closed for construction.<br/>