Adopting the “Gulf of America” Name in B050

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION N 8900.759

NOTICE

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Effective Date: 12/29/25 National Policy Cancellation Date: 12/29/26 SUBJ: Adopting the “ Gulf of America ” Name in B050 1. Purpose of This Notice. This notice announces a change to Operations Specification (OpSpec)/Management Specification (MSpec)/Letter of Authorization (LOA) B050, Authorized Areas of En Route Operations, Limitations, and Provisions, adopting the “Gulf of America” name for the associated areas for Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) parts 91 subpart K (part 91K), 121, 121/135, 125 (including part 125 Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA) holders), and 135. This notice requires Safety Assurance offices to notify affected operators about this change. This notice contains information that is administrative in nature.

2. Audience. The primary audience for this notice is the Flight Standards (FS) Safety Assurance offices’ principal inspectors (PI) and aviation safety inspectors (ASI) assigned to operators under 14 CFR parts 91K, 121, 121/135, 125 (including part 125 LODA holders), and 135. The secondary audience includes the Safety Standards and Foundational Business offices. This notice is available to the public for information purposes only. Its content is not legally binding on the public in its own right and will not be relied upon by the Department as a separate basis for affirmative enforcement action or other administrative penalty. Public conformity with the guidance document is voluntary only; nonconformity will not affect rights and obligations under existing statutes and regulations.

3. Where You Can Find This Notice. You can find this notice on the MyFAA employee website at https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov . Operators and the public can find this notice on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_no tices and DRS.

4. Background.

a. Editorial Revisions Adopting “Gulf of America” Name. On January 20, 2025, Executive Order (E.O.) 14172, Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, was issued, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Several authorized areas in B050 are affected.

b. Related Current Notices. As part of a larger project revising en route instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation authorizations and associated guidance, FS issued the following notices related to this notice.

Distribution: Electronic Only Initiated By: AFS-400

12/29/25 N 8900.759 (1) Certificated Operator Notices (both issued concurrently with this notice): (a) Notice N 8900.758, New B033 Authorization, Revision to A002 Authorization, and Decommissioning of B031, B032, B034, and B035 Authorizations. This notice announces the new B033 en route authorization; decommissions the B031, B032, B034, and B035 authorizations; and announces associated A002 revisions, including changes applicable to air ambulance operators. This notice affects B050 reference paragraphs.

(b) Notice N 8900.757, Revised B030, B036, and B039 Authorizations, Decommissioned B054 Authorization for 14 CFR Parts 91K, 121, 121/135, 125, and 135. This notice announces revisions to the B030, B036, and B039 authorizations and decommissions the B054 authorization. This notice affects B050 reference paragraphs.

(2) Title 14 CFR Part 91 Notices: (a) Notice N 8900.756, Revised 14 CFR Part 91 Letters of Authorization (LOA) B030, B036, and B039, Decommissioned LOA B054 (issued concurrently with this notice). This notice announces revisions to 14 CFR part 91 LOAs B030, B036, and B039 and decommissions LOA B054.

(b) Notice N 8900.709, Revised Part 91 LOA A001 Template Affecting the “Responsible Person” (issued August 14, 2024). This notice announced a nonmandatory template revision to 14 CFR part 91 LOA A001, which is cross-referenced in revised B036 inspector guidance.

5. Discussion. Effective as of the date of this notice, FS has deactivated all B050 authorized areas in the Safety Assurance System (SAS) Operations Safety System (OPSS) that included the name “Gulf of Mexico.” FS has created and activated replacement areas with identical boundaries that use the “Gulf of America” name, to be used for new issuances/amendments. This action is not considered a template revision, so the B050 revision numbers have not changed.

6. Action.

a. Related Notices. PIs should review the related notices listed in subparagraph 4b above to determine whether their operators are affected. This review may be helpful in planning reissuance activities.

Note: The notices listed in subparagraph 4b (with the exception of N 8900.709) were released concurrently with this notice to allow inspectors to update the applicable B050 reference paragraphs and authorized areas, and perform one B050 reissuance instead of three. However, due to the large number of template changes, SAS OPSS will not have all new templates available until January 16, 2026. Inspectors are advised to wait until then to begin work on B050 reissuance actions.

b. Update and Reissue B050 Authorizations. Within 12 months of the effective date of this notice, inspectors should reissue the B050 authorization, as applicable, replacing any inactive areas or references (e.g., areas with “Gulf of Mexico” in the name) with active areas.

12/29/25 N 8900.759 7. Disposition. We will incorporate the information in this notice into FAA Order 8900.1 before this notice expires. Direct questions or comments concerning the information in this notice to the Flight Technologies and Procedures Division (AFS-400) at 202-267-8790.

Timothy R. Adams for Hugh Thomas Acting Executive Director, Flight Standards Service