Free NOTAM Decoder
Paste ICAO or FAA NOTAMs to read the Q code, location, times and limits, with abbreviations written out in full.
What is a NOTAM Decoder?
A NOTAM, a notice to air missions, warns pilots about anything that changes how an airport or airspace can be used: closed runways, broken lights, cranes, drone areas, military exercises. NOTAMs are written in a terse code. This decoder spells it out.
It reads ICAO-format NOTAMs item by item, from the Q line’s subject and condition code, traffic, purpose, scope, levels and area, to the location, times, schedule, text and height limits. FAA domestic NOTAMs are read too, and a plain-language view writes common abbreviations in full.
Key Features
Q Codes Spelled Out
The five-letter code becomes a subject and condition, such as runway: closed or PAPI: unserviceable.
Every Item Named
FIR, traffic, purpose, scope, levels, area, location, times, schedule, text and limits.
Plain Language
Where, when and what, with RWY, CLSD, U/S, WIP and 46 more abbreviations written in full.
Area on a Map
The Q line’s centre and radius drawn as a circle, to see what a NOTAM covers.
Stays in Your Browser
NOTAM text is decoded locally. Only the map background comes from OpenStreetMap.
Perfect for everyone
- Pilots
- Flight dispatchers
- Drone operators
- Air traffic students and aviation software developers
How to Use the NOTAM Decoder
Paste NOTAMs from any briefing source.
Copy the NOTAMs
From the FAA NOTAM Search, a national AIS, your EFB or a flight planning briefing.
Paste Them
Several at once are fine. Each starts a new NOTAM at its number or ! line.
Read the Fields
Fields lists every item with the Q code decoded, and the map shows the area.
Switch to Plain Language
Plain language gives where, when and what, with the abbreviations written out.
NOTAMs, Decoded
Each row is a NOTAM as it’s published, and each answer is this decoder’s output in the mode on the chip. Try reading the Q code before you reveal it.
“A1234/26 NOTAMN Q) KZNY/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4038N07347W005 A) KJFK B) 2610280400 C) 2610281000 E) RWY 13L/31R CLSD DUE WIP”
“A1234/26 NOTAMN Q) KZNY/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4038N07347W005 A) KJFK B) 2610280400 C) 2610281000 E) RWY 13L/31R CLSD DUE WIP”
“B0456/26 NOTAMN Q) EGTT/QWULW/IV/BO/W/000/004/5130N00008W002 A) EGTT B) 2610290900 C) 2610311700 D) DLY 0900-1200 1400-1700 E) UNMANNED ACFT WILL TAKE PLACE WI 2NM RADIUS OF 513000N 0000800W. F) SFC G) 400FT AGL”
“B0456/26 NOTAMN Q) EGTT/QWULW/IV/BO/W/000/004/5130N00008W002 A) EGTT B) 2610290900 C) 2610311700 D) DLY 0900-1200 1400-1700 E) UNMANNED ACFT WILL TAKE PLACE WI 2NM RADIUS OF 513000N 0000800W. F) SFC G) 400FT AGL”
“A2051/26 NOTAMN Q) LFFF/QLPAS/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4900N00233E005 A) LFPG B) 2610270600 C) 2611051800 EST E) PAPI RWY 26R U/S”
“A1300/26 NOTAMR A1234/26 Q) KZNY/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4038N07347W005 A) KJFK B) 2610280400 C) 2610281200 EST E) RWY 13L/31R CLSD DUE WIP”
“A1340/26 NOTAMC A1300/26 Q) KZNY/QMRAK/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4038N07347W005 A) KJFK B) 2610280830 E) REF NOTAM A1300/26 RWY 13L/31R AVBL”
“!JFK 10/123 JFK TWY B BTN TWY K AND TWY L CLSD 2610280400-2610281000”
“C0789/26 NOTAMN Q) EDGG/QOBCE/IV/M/AE/000/015/5002N00834E001 A) EDDF B) 2610270700 C) 2612312359 EST E) CRANE ERECTED PSN 500210N 0083412E HGT 450FT AMSL. LGTD.”
“RWY 13L/31R CLSD”
The Parts of an ICAO NOTAM
Every ICAO NOTAM has the same structure. These ten parts carry the information pilots act on.
Series and Number
A letter series, a four-digit number and the year, such as A1234/26.
“Which year is A1234/26 from?”
NOTAMN, R and C
A new NOTAM, a replacement for an older one, or a cancellation.
“What does NOTAMR carry after it?”
Q) FIR
The flight information region the NOTAM belongs to, such as KZNY for New York.
“What does FIR stand for?”
Q) NOTAM Code
Q, two letters for the subject and two for the condition, from ICAO Doc 8126.
“What is QMRLC?”
Q) Traffic, Purpose and Scope
Whether it affects IFR or VFR, who needs it, and whether it covers an aerodrome, en route or a warning.
“What does scope A mean?”
Q) Levels and Area
Lower and upper flight levels, then a centre and radius in nautical miles.
“What is the radius in 4038N07347W005?”
A) Location
The ICAO code of the aerodrome or FIR affected.
“Can A) list several places?”
B) and C) Times
Start and end in yymmddhhmm UTC. C) may end in EST or be PERM.
“What does EST after C) mean?”
D) Schedule
When the NOTAM is active inside its period, such as daily hours.
“Is D) always present?”
E), F) and G)
The plain-language text, then lower and upper limits for airspace NOTAMs.
“What is F) SFC?”
Q Codes You Will Read Often
A few NOTAM codes make up a large share of what pilots see in a briefing. Learning these seven makes most briefings quick to scan.
QMRLC
Runway closed. Check the E) text for which runway, why, and any exceptions.
QMXLC
Taxiway closed, which can change taxi routes and runway exits.
QLPAS
PAPI unserviceable, so there’s no visual glide path guidance to that runway.
QICAS
ILS unserviceable, which often raises the approach minimums or closes an approach.
QOBCE
Obstacle erected, usually a crane, with its position, height and lighting.
QWULW
Unmanned aircraft flying will take place inside the given area and heights.
QRTCA
A temporary restricted area is activated, for an event, a VIP visit or an emergency.
ICAO and FAA Formats
The US publishes NOTAMs in two shapes, and the rest of the world mostly uses ICAO’s. Knowing which you’re looking at tells you where to find each piece of information.
ICAO Format
Items Q) to G) on separate lines, used internationally and by the FAA for its ICAO-format feed.
FAA Domestic Format
One line starting with !, the location, the number, the text, then the start and end times.
No Q Line in Domestic
FAA domestic NOTAMs have no Q code, so the subject is read from the first words, such as RWY or TWY.
Same Abbreviations
Both formats use the same contractions, so RWY, CLSD and U/S mean the same everywhere.
The Same Clock
Both use UTC. A NOTAM ending 2610281000 ends at 10:00 UTC on 28 October 2026.
When to Decode NOTAMs
Whenever a briefing’s NOTAMs need reading quickly and correctly.
Pre-Flight Briefing
Read every NOTAM for departure, destination and alternates without missing a closure.
Drone Flight Planning
Check for temporary restrictions and other drone activity near your site.
Dispatch and Operations
Scan a long list for runway, lighting and navaid outages that affect a schedule.
Student Pilots
Learn the Q codes and abbreviations by comparing raw and decoded text.
Building Aviation Software
Check a parser against this decoder’s fields and Q-code meanings.
NOTAM Pitfalls
Mistakes that matter when reading NOTAMs.
Ignoring the Schedule
A NOTAM valid all week may only apply during the hours in D). Read both.
Estimated Ends
C) with EST means the end may change. Expect a replacement or cancellation.
Replaced NOTAMs
A NOTAMR supersedes the NOTAM it names. Don’t act on the old one.
Feet and Flight Levels
The Q line uses flight levels, while F) and G) often use feet AGL or AMSL.
Radius Isn’t the Shape
The Q-line circle is a filter for briefings. The real area is in the E) text.
Not a Briefing
This tool decodes what you paste. Always get a complete official briefing before flight.