2 days Ago
Air traffic controllers at work. getty America’s Air Traffic Control system (ATC) is running on borrowed time. The recent failure of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which left all pilots without means of communication; the devastating crash at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.
C.; and several near misses of aircraft are sobering reminders of how fragile and dangerous the whole setup has become. How many more warnings do we need? An analysis by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concedes that maintaining these outdated systems is “eroding the margin of safety.
” It’s no longer a question of whether modernization is necessary, but whether Washington will act before the next preventable tragedy occurs. Republicans are right to demand fiscal discipline, but keeping the FAA’s aging infrastructure on life support is both reckless and wasteful. Right now, 92% of the FAA’s Facilities & Equipment budget is spent maintaining obsolete technologies: paper flight strips, WWII-era radar systems and, yes, floppy disks.
Every dollar spent keeping these relics operational is a dollar that isn’t being invested in the future. Fortunately, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy understands the critical need for reform, and he’s wasting no time. He and President Trump are moving forward with a plan to completely overhaul the ATC system within the next three to four years.
Following the National Transportation Safety Board’s urgent safety recommendations issued earlier this month, Duffy announced plans to upgrade FAA systems, including new ATC terminals, radar systems and technologies that can leverage artificial intelligence to identify collision hot spots. Airlines for America, the trade association representing leading U.S.
airlines, has also put forward critical recommendations—chief among them is expanding training centers for air traffic controllers to address the staffing shortage. Here’s a shocker: Nearly 90% of control towers across the country are understaffed, forcing controllers to work long hours under immense pressure. Asking air traffic controllers to perform their crucial tasks with outdated technology and minimal support is a recipe for catastrophic failure.
Although several training centers exist, they are severely underfunded and only one is currently operational. Without immediate investment in training, the shortage will only worsen, putting the safety of passengers at even greater risk. With all this in mind, Congress should approve an emergency funding package to accelerate the development and implementation of new control technologies.
But emergency funding alone won’t fix a system that’s been neglected for decades. Congress needs to establish a long-term budgeting process that allows for real-time technological upgrades. Delaying these updates for years while waiting on burdensome funding approvals and regulatory processes only increases the likelihood of disasters.
A forward-looking budget process is critical. Sensible, long-term capital spending on this makes sense for the economy as well. Commercial aviation encompasses more than 10 million American jobs and contributes 5% of U.
S. GDP, the equivalent of $1.45 trillion in 2024.
U.S. airlines operate more than 27,000 flights daily, carrying 2.
7 million passengers to and from nearly 80 countries, along with 61,000 tons of cargo. Protecting this economic engine means ensuring that our aviation infrastructure is as modern and efficient as possible. Necessary federal government spending cuts must not come at the cost of airline safety or weakened critical infrastructure.
ATC isn’t a bloated bureaucracy; it’s a life-or-death system that millions of Americans rely on daily. By acting now on badly needed changes, Congress can protect both American lives and American wallets in the long run. Sean Duffy was the right choice for Transportation Secretary.
He understands that true stewardship of taxpayer dollars means prioritizing investments that prevent future crises. If Congress rallies behind his and President Trump’s plan, we can ensure that America can once again become the undisputed global leader in aviation..
