Definition
A NOTAM contraction indicating that a change to a facility, service, procedure, or hazard is lasting and not scheduled to be reversed. When PERM appears in a NOTAM, the affected information will eventually be incorporated into official charts and publications.
Plain English
PERM means the change is here to stay. It is not a temporary closure or short-term outage — the new condition is the new normal.
Context Anchor
Seen in NOTAMs, especially when an airport, runway, procedure, light, frequency, or other aviation item has an ongoing change.
Derivation
Permanent comes from Latin words meaning “to remain through” or “to last.” That fits the aviation use: the item is expected to continue, not just appear for a short time.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must treat PERM items as the new baseline and update their procedures, charts, or databases rather than expecting the old information to return.
Intuition Check
Do not read permanent as “impossible to change.” In this context, it means “intended to remain in effect until officially changed or removed.”
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM listed taxiway B as PERM closed, so the crew planned an alternate route to the runway.
Example Sentence 2
PERM runway lighting changes were incorporated into the next airport diagram revision.