# How to Read a NOTAM: Q-Line and Items A–G Explained

> A NOTAM is a notice distributed by telecommunication about the establishment, condition or change of an aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard that people involved in flight operations need to know about in time.

NOTAMbriefing.com, https://notambriefing.com/guides/how-to-read-a-notam. Last updated 2026-09-23.

## The layout at a glance

NOTAMs use the ICAO format in PANS-AIM (ICAO Doc 10066, Appendix 3). In Europe, NOTAM offices apply it through the EUROCONTROL guidelines for AIS dynamic data (OPADD), so a NOTAM from Lisbon has the same structure as one from Helsinki. The parts always come in the same order:

- **Header**: series letter, number and year, and the NOTAM type, for example `B0417/26 NOTAMN`.
- **Q)**: the qualifier line: eight coded fields that briefing systems use to sort and filter the notice.
- **A)**: where: the ICAO location indicator of the aerodrome or FIR.
- **B) and C)**: when: start and end as ten-digit date-time groups in UTC.
- **D)**: an optional schedule, used when the activity is not continuous between B) and C).
- **E)**: what: the notice in plain language, written with ICAO abbreviations.
- **F) and G)**: lower and upper limits, normally only for navigation warnings and airspace restrictions.

## Series, number and type

The header identifies the NOTAM. The series is a single letter; the number is four digits, a slash and the two-digit year. Each series restarts at 0001 on 1 January, so `A0123/26` is the 123rd NOTAM of series A in 2026. In Europe, OPADD allows the letters A to Z except S and T, and each state decides what each series carries. The allocation is published in the state's AIP, section GEN 3.1.

The NOTAM type follows the number:

- **NOTAMN**: a new NOTAM.
- **NOTAMR**: a replacement that names the NOTAM it replaces, for example `A0124/26 NOTAMR A0123/26`. A NOTAMR replaces exactly one NOTAM of the same series.
- **NOTAMC**: a cancellation, for example `A0125/26 NOTAMC A0124/26`. A NOTAMC has no item C).

## The Q-line, field by field

Item Q) holds eight fields separated by slashes. Briefing systems use them to decide whether a NOTAM belongs in your pre-flight information bulletin (PIB). You can use them to triage a long bulletin in seconds. The line below comes from the illustrative example further down this page.

```text
Q) EHAA/QRTCA/IV/BO/W/000/025/5330N00430E003
```

Table: The eight fields of NOTAM item Q)
| Field | Example | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FIR | `EHAA` | ICAO location indicator of the FIR that contains the subject. When several FIRs of one state are involved, the state's nationality letters are followed by XX (for example `EDXX`) and item A) lists the FIRs. |
| NOTAM code | `QRTCA` | Five letters: Q, the subject (RT, temporary restricted area) and its condition (CA, activated). See [NOTAM Q-codes explained](https://notambriefing.com/guides/notam-q-codes). |
| Traffic | `IV` | I = IFR, V = VFR, IV = both, K = checklist. |
| Purpose | `BO` | N = for the immediate attention of flight crew; B = operationally significant, selected for PIB entry; O = concerning flight operations; M = miscellaneous, not briefed unless requested; K = checklist. OPADD allows the combinations NBO, BO, B, M and K. |
| Scope | `W` | A = aerodrome; E = en route; W = navigation warning; AE and AW combine them; K = checklist. The scope decides the bulletin section the NOTAM appears in. |
| Lower / upper | `000/025` | Vertical extent in flight levels, always three digits. `000/999` is the default when the subject has no specific height. The lower value is rounded down and the upper value rounded up to the nearest 100 ft. |
| Coordinates, radius | `5330N00430E003` | A centre in degrees and minutes and a three-digit radius in NM. The circle is sized to cover the whole area of influence. `999` is the default for a notice that covers a whole FIR or several FIRs; OPADD asks NOTAM offices to avoid it whenever a smaller radius will do. |

Treat the Q-line circle as a filter, not a boundary. It is the approximate centre and radius that let a briefing system select the NOTAM; the real shape of an area is described in item E). That gap is what a [graphical NOTAM](https://notambriefing.com/guides/what-is-a-graphical-notam) closes.

## Items A to G

The lettered items carry the operational content of the NOTAM.

Table: NOTAM items A) to G)
| Item | Contains | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A) | ICAO location indicator of the aerodrome or FIR concerned. Several FIRs may be listed. | `A) EHAM` |
| B) | Start: a ten-digit UTC date-time group, YYMMDDhhmm. The start of a day is written 0000. | `B) 2606131000`: 13 June 2026, 10:00 UTC |
| C) | End in the same format, or `PERM`. `EST` directly after the time marks an estimate. The end of a day is written 2359. | `C) 2606141700`, `C) 2607011200EST`, `C) PERM` |
| D) | Day and time schedule, only when the notice applies at certain periods inside the B)–C) window. | `D) MON-FRI 0600-1700` |
| E) | The notice in plain language with ICAO abbreviations; English is included when the NOTAM is distributed internationally. | `E) RWY 09/27 CLSD` |
| F) | Lower limit. `SFC` or `GND` mark the surface or ground. | `F) SFC` |
| G) | Upper limit. `UNL` marks unlimited. | `G) 2500FT AMSL` |

F) and G) always state a unit and a reference: feet or metres above mean sea level (AMSL) or above ground level (AGL), or a flight level. For navigation warnings the Q-line lower and upper fields restate those limits as flight levels, so `G) 2500FT AMSL` appears as `025`. When F) or G) is given above ground level, the NOTAM office adds the terrain elevation first, so the Q-line upper value is higher than the figure in G). Subjects with no specific height use `000/999`.

## Times: UTC, PERM and EST

All NOTAM times are UTC. Convert them before you compare them with your departure time: Central European Time is UTC+1 in winter and Central European Summer Time is UTC+2; UK time equals UTC in winter and is UTC+1 during British Summer Time.

A NOTAM is valid from the moment it is published, but it only comes into force at the time in item B). A new NOTAM can therefore sit in your bulletin days before it applies. Check B) before you decide a notice matters, or doesn't.

- **EST** after the item C) time means the end time is an estimate. The NOTAM office must cancel or replace the NOTAM before that time, so expect a NOTAMR or NOTAMC to follow.
- **PERM** in item C) means the information is permanent and will be incorporated in the AIP.
- OPADD does not allow `UFN` (until further notice) or `APRX DUR` in item C), nor `WIE` or `WEF` in item B).

## Reading item D) schedules

Item D) appears only when the NOTAM is relevant at certain periods inside the B)–C) window, such as a danger area that is active in the mornings. The first period starts at the B) time and the last one ends at the C) time. OPADD recommends these expressions:

- `D) MON-FRI 0600-1700 EXC DEC 05`: weekdays from 06:00 to 17:00 UTC, except 5 December.
- `D) 13-14 1000-1700`: from 10:00 to 17:00 UTC on the 13th and on the 14th.
- `D) DAILY 0800-1600`: every day from B) to C), 08:00 to 16:00 UTC.
- `D) SR MINUS30-SS PLUS30`: from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Sunrise and sunset times change with date and place.
- `H24`: the whole day, 0000 to 2359, on the dates given.

OPADD limits item D) to 200 characters and to gaps of at most seven days between periods; longer schedules are split across several NOTAMs.

## Worked example: an illustrative air display restriction

The NOTAM below was written for this guide. It is **not a real notice**: the number is invented and the coordinates are a round-number placeholder over the North Sea. Do not use it for flight planning.

```text
B0417/26 NOTAMN
Q) EHAA/QRTCA/IV/BO/W/000/025/5330N00430E003
A) EHAA B) 2606131000 C) 2606141700
D) 13-14 1000-1700
E) TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA ACT FOR AIR DISPLAY
WITHIN 3NM RADIUS OF 533000N 0043000E.
F) SFC G) 2500FT AMSL
```

- **B0417/26 NOTAMN**: a new NOTAM, number 417 of series B in 2026.
- **EHAA**: the subject lies in the Amsterdam FIR; see the [Amsterdam FIR briefing page](https://notambriefing.com/fir/amsterdam).
- **QRTCA**: subject RT, temporary restricted area; condition CA, activated.
- **IV/BO/W**: relevant to IFR and VFR, operationally significant and included in a standard PIB, listed with the navigation warnings.
- **000/025**: from the surface to FL025, the flight-level equivalent of G) 2500FT AMSL.
- **5330N00430E003**: a 3 NM selection circle; here it matches the area described in item E).
- **B), C) and D)**: in force from 13 June 2026 10:00 UTC to 14 June 17:00 UTC, but active only from 10:00 to 17:00 UTC on each day. In Central European Summer Time that is 12:00 to 19:00 local.
- **F) and G)**: from the surface to 2 500 ft above mean sea level. A VFR flight planned inside the circle below that altitude would be inside the restricted area while it is active.

## Checklists, trigger NOTAMs and special series

A few NOTAM kinds look different from the rest:

- **Checklist**: a list of the valid NOTAMs in one series, normally issued monthly, with the code `QKKKK` and K in the traffic, purpose and scope fields. Only a NOTAMC cancels a NOTAM; a checklist never does.
- **Trigger NOTAM**: announces an AIRAC AIP amendment or supplement. Its code ends in `TT` and its text starts with TRIGGER NOTAM. Under OPADD it stays in force for 14 days from the effective date, or until the supplement expires if that is sooner.
- **SNOWTAM**: a special series NOTAM in a standard format that reports snow, ice, slush, frost or standing water on the movement area.
- **ASHTAM**: a special series NOTAM about volcanic activity, an eruption or a volcanic ash cloud that matters to aircraft.

## Before your next flight

Put the layout to work in a normal briefing:

- Pull a [route briefing](https://notambriefing.com/guides/notam-route-briefing) or an [airport radius briefing](https://notambriefing.com/guides/airport-radius-notam-briefing) so only the NOTAMs that touch your flight remain.
- Compare B), C) and D) with your own flight window in UTC before you act on a notice or dismiss it.
- Open the [live map](https://notambriefing.com/) to see where an area really lies instead of plotting coordinates by hand.
- Look up unfamiliar terms in the [NOTAM and airspace glossary](https://notambriefing.com/glossary).

## Common pilot questions

### What does the Q-line in a NOTAM mean?

Item Q) is the qualifier line. Its eight fields give the FIR, the five-letter NOTAM code, the traffic affected (IFR, VFR or both), the purpose, the scope (aerodrome, en route or navigation warning), the lower and upper flight levels, and a centre point with a radius. Briefing systems use it to decide which NOTAMs appear in a pre-flight information bulletin.

### Are NOTAM times in local time or UTC?

UTC. Items B), C) and D) are always in UTC; B) and C) use ten-digit date-time groups (YYMMDDhhmm). Convert to local time before comparing with your departure: Central European Time is UTC+1 and Central European Summer Time is UTC+2.

### What is the difference between NOTAMN, NOTAMR and NOTAMC?

NOTAMN is a new NOTAM. NOTAMR replaces one earlier NOTAM of the same series and names it after the type, for example A0124/26 NOTAMR A0123/26. NOTAMC cancels one earlier NOTAM and has no item C).

### What do EST and PERM mean in item C)?

EST after the end time means the time is an estimate; the NOTAM office must replace or cancel the NOTAM before then. PERM means the information is permanent and will be incorporated in the AIP.

### Why do items F) and G) not look like the Q-line limits?

F) and G) give the limits as published, in feet or metres AMSL or AGL, or as a flight level. The Q-line gives three-digit flight levels, with the lower limit rounded down and the upper limit rounded up to the nearest 100 ft. For navigation warnings the two describe the same volume, but an AGL limit is first converted by adding the terrain elevation, so the Q-line upper value is higher than G). Subjects with no specific height use 000/999 in the Q-line whatever F) and G) say.

## Sources

- [Annex 15 to the Chicago Convention, Aeronautical Information Services](https://www.icao.int/airnavigation/aeronautical-information-management), ICAO
- [Doc 10066, Procedures for Air Navigation Services: Aeronautical Information Management (PANS-AIM), Appendix 3 (NOTAM format)](https://store.icao.int/en/aeronautical-information-management-doc-10066), ICAO
- Doc 8126, Aeronautical Information Services Manual, Chapter 6 Appendix B (NOTAM Selection Criteria), ICAO
- [EUROCONTROL Guidelines, Operating Procedures for AIS Dynamic Data (OPADD), Edition 4.1](https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/eurocontrol-guidelines-operating-procedures-ais-dynamic-data-opadd), EUROCONTROL