FAA Cert Alert: Clarifications Regarding Restrictive Use Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs)

[TJ94]

https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/certalerts/part_139_certalert_25_02

The FAA is taking action on the bogus NOTAMs closing airports to diversions, international diversions, unscheduled operations, etc. Example:

AP CLSD TO DIV INTL AIR CARRIER ACFT EXC EMERG ACFT AND DIV INTL AIR CARRIER ACFT 3HR PPR XXX-XXX-XXXX

This undoubtedly presents a safety issue to our profession, and for the PIC when holding/contemplating diversion and this or similar NOTAM gets issued for your alternate(s). Sometimes these have been issued prior to a weather event happening. Crews can still declare an emergency and land at the airport they wish to.

While yes, gate/ramp capacity can be an issue especially after several planes divert to one airport. I do speak from experience on that as I used to work at the airports prior to dispatching. However waiting for a parking spot or fuel or whatever it may be is a lot better than being in a low fuel situation in the air. Not every airport within your fuel range will be a viable alternate.

Hopefully this leads to some change and provides a higher margin of safety.

 

[TXAce]

Thank you! TPA has been doing this recently and it’s so frustrating.

 

[Htown19]

PHL has been bad about this. You’ll have multiple flights entering holding for NYC and all of a sudden your alternate just went illegal because the airport doesn’t want to deal with diversions and threw the NOTAM in there

 

[DeltaJulietTango]

Wait until you see AUS when DFW and IAH have storms...

 

[ahw01]

Not sure a certalert is quite the right title.

Glad I have an agent for service. Not.

 

[A1TAPE]

PHL has been bad about this. You’ll have multiple flights entering holding for NYC and all of a sudden your alternate just went illegal because the airport doesn’t want to deal with diversions and threw the NOTAM in there

Even if you were able to change the alternate to something legal I would STILL do an ASAP on it as hopefully after enough reports of this would cause the FAA would actually take action against an airport for these tricks instead of just sending out a letter via snail mail or posting a cert alert memo.