Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul and modernize the U.S. air traffic control system within the next four years.
According to NPR, Duffy and the Trump administration have unveiled ambitious modernization plans after the recent events at Newark Liberty International Airport and a slew of crashes across the U.S.
“A lot of people have said: This problem is too complicated, too expensive, too hard,” Duffy said at an event at Department of Transportation headquarters. “But we are blessed to have a president who actually loves to build and knows how to build.”
Duffy said President Donald Trump “doesn’t want to pass this problem to the next administration, the next secretary, or the next set of victims.”
Duffy was reluctant to disclose the cost of the plan. Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee estimated that modernizing the air traffic control system could require $12.5 billion, but Duffy suggested the actual price tag would be even higher.
The Modern Skies Coalition, composed of aviation industry experts, pilot association representatives, and others, issued a statement advocating for at least $18.5 billion in additional emergency funding over the next three years — beyond the $12.5 billion already proposed. This would be separate from the FAA’s annual budget for technologies and facilities.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has put forward a plan to upgrade outdated telecommunications, radio, and surveillance systems — some of which still rely on copper wires and floppy disks — with modern technology.
According to Duffy, the initiative also includes investments in new ground radar sensors for airport tarmacs, a revamped flight management system, and the construction of new air traffic control towers and other facilities. However, the proposal will need approval from Congress, including having the funding available upfront.
Airline executives and trade representatives are fully backing the proposal, with Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America saying “We can’t kick the can down the road. We need to do it now.”
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy also expressed full support for the plan.
“An aging system poses an untenable risk to safety. I said it after DCA, I’ll say it again now: an untenable risk to safety,” Homendy said.
According to NBC News, in a phone call to Duffy, Trump said he sympathizes with passengers who are experiencing delays.
“I’m sorry what you’re going through with the terminals, but we’re going to get them fixed up,” Trump said.
Trump further expressed his disbelief that air traffic data and communications is being run through “equipment that’s from the 1960s, if you can believe it, doesn’t even mesh with the plane.”
The move has also garnered support from the family of pilot Sam Lilley, a victim of the crash between his American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk Army helicopter when it crossed into his path at Ronald Reagan National Airport in January, that killed 67 people.
