Plans for new air traffic control system unveiled by transportation secretary
Plans for a new air traffic control system were announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amid a spotlight on the out-of-date ATC system and the air traffic controller shortage.
The Transportation Department said in a statement the current ATC system is "antiquated" and said the new "state-of-the-art" system will improve safety and cut back on delays.
Changes include swapping out old telecommunications for "new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies"; "installing new modern hardware and software"; replacing 618 old radars; and building six new air traffic control centers and replacing towers, the Transportation Department said.
Duffy stressed the old equipment in the current ATC system, noting how air traffic controllers still use floppy disks.
"We shop on eBay to replace parts, to fix our equipment in the system that keeps you safe, keeps your family safe," he said at a news conference, calling it "100% unacceptable."
Duffy said he hopes to have the system built in the next three to four years.
Duffy didn’t ballpark a price tag, simply saying it will cost "billions." Duffy said he will ask for the full amount up-front from Congress, which has previously signaled support over calls for the modernization of ATC systems.
President Donald Trump called Duffy’s cellphone during the secretary’s news conference and Duffy put the president on speaker phone. Via the phone, Trump reiterated that flying is still safe and said there will be "one big beautiful contract" to replace the system.
The announcement comes as an outage at Newark Liberty International Airport last week caused ATC computer screens to go dark for roughly 60 to 90 seconds and prevented controllers from talking to aircraft during that time, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the incident. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted all departures to the airport.
Following the outage, several controllers went on medical leave, calling the experience a traumatic event. The controllers are entitled to at least 45 days away from the job and must be evaluated by a doctor before they can return to work.
The facility where controllers work the airspace around Newark airport is located in Philadelphia and was already short on air traffic controllers.
This increased shortage sparked massive delays and cancellations at Newark over the last two weeks.
The FAA in a statement Monday said the "antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce."
"As Secretary Duffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible," the FAA said.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is in support of Duffy’s proposal, with association president Nick Daniels saying in a statement Thursday, "NATCA has advocated for the modernization of air traffic control systems and infrastructure for decades, and it is past time that it is addressed.”
The proposal is supported by many other groups in the aviation industry, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Airlines Pilot Association and Airlines for America.
