Historical NOTAMs

What counts as a historical NOTAM?

A historical NOTAM is any NOTAM that was in force at a defined moment in the past — for example, all NOTAMs valid at EHAM on 15 March 2024 at 14:00 UTC. This is different from a current NOTAM briefing, which only shows what is active today. When investigators, lawyers, or safety officers ask what was published on a given date, they are asking for historical NOTAM data, not a live feed.

Operational briefing products — EFB apps, airline dispatch systems, and public sites such as FAA NOTAM Search — are optimised for the next departure. They do not retain a browsable history of every notice that has expired. A dedicated archive query by ICAO code and date is therefore the practical way to answer retrospective questions. See also our guide to current vs historical NOTAMs for a fuller comparison.

Who needs historical NOTAM data?

These users share a common requirement: a date-stamped, exportable record of what the aeronautical information system contained — not an opinion about what the crew should have known, but the actual NOTAM text as distributed in ICAO format.

• Accident and incident investigators reconstructing the information environment at the time of an occurrence
• Aviation lawyers and insurers verifying whether a specific restriction, closure, or hazard was officially published
• Safety officers and SMS managers documenting compliance for internal audits and regulatory reports
• Airlines and operators reviewing historical dispatch documentation or responding to authority requests
• Insurance adjusters establishing published conditions on the date of a loss or claim event

How far back can you search?

NOTAM History supports archive lookups up to approximately two years in the past for supported ICAO aerodromes and FIRs worldwide. Enter the 4-letter ICAO code, pick the historical validity date, and optionally filter by NOTAM number (for example A2473/24). Results are compiled from professional archive APIs and delivered by email within seconds.

Coverage depends on what the underlying archive holds for the requested location and date. If no snapshot exists, no result is returned. The service is intended for documentation and analysis — not for pre-flight operational briefing. For live operations, continue to use your approved briefing provider or national NOTAM system.

How NOTAM History delivers historical NOTAMs

The workflow is deliberately simple: ICAO location, historical date, optional NOTAM identifier, then checkout. One-off searches are €9.99; a yearly subscription at €29.99 includes ten archive searches per billing year, with top-up packs available when you need more volume. Logged-in users can review past searches in My account.

Whether you are supporting an accident investigation, preparing evidence for litigation, or completing a safety audit, historical NOTAM retrieval should be treated as one layer of the evidence chain — alongside flight plans, weather, and briefing printouts — rather than a substitute for primary authority records where those are legally required.

Documentation standards for professional files

Investigation and legal teams increasingly expect NOTAM evidence to be captured in ICAO plain-text form with clear search parameters noted in the file memo: ICAO code, UTC-referenced validity date, optional NOTAM identifier, and retrieval timestamp. NOTAM History emails satisfy that format requirement without manual transcription from briefing screenshots that may omit series numbers or validity windows.

When comparing archive output to operator briefing printouts, note that briefing systems may apply company filters, category selections, or route-specific subsets. The archive active set represents published notices for the location on the date — reconciliation may require explaining dispatch filtering policies rather than assuming identical list length.

For multi-location operations, run separate queries per ICAO aerodrome and FIR rather than assuming one search covers an entire itinerary. Subscription pricing at €29.99 per year with ten included searches, plus €29.99 top-up packs, is often more economical than repeated one-off €9.99 purchases during fleet reviews or major occurrence support.