U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and President Donald Trump yesterday announced a sweeping plan to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, calling for a complete rebuild of both infrastructure and technology across the National Airspace System (NAS). In a briefing, Duffy outlined the first national strategy to replace aging infrastructure, including copper cabling, legacy radar, outdated ground equipment, and insufficient facilities.
“Our mission is to build a brand-new, state-of-the-art system that can grow with the aviation economy,” Duffy said, calling the plan “bold” but necessary to prevent future incidents like the January 29 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). “This is a way to honor. This is a way to respect. This is a way to pay it forward and to do the right thing, to keep our families and our communities safe when they use our airspace.”
Duffy also referred to last week’s outages at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) as critical evidence of the importance of updating the NAS. We could begin to see more “Newarks” outside of Newark if critical systems aren’t upgraded, he warned. Today saw reports of yet another outage at the international hub at around 3:55 a.m., according to the FAA.
On Thursday, several members of Congress from New York and New Jersey, including Reps. Robert Menendez, Jerrold Nadler, and Nydia Velázquez, sent a letter to Secretary Duffy and Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau urging the FAA to take immediate steps to relieve congestion in the Newark region. The letter cited a recent communications blackout at KEWR and called for the FAA to “ground all non-essential helicopter traffic within a 20-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty” as an interim safety measure.
“We are past the point where these safety concerns need to be addressed,” the members wrote, warning that delays, near misses, and low-altitude helicopter traffic in densely populated areas now present an urgent operational and safety hazard.
President Trump, who joined the briefing by phone, said the plan would “fully replace the technology at more than 4,600 air traffic control sites” and include six new coordination centers. The initiative, he said, is the first comprehensive modernization since the 1960s.
Duffy emphasized that the system upgrade will include “all brand new hardware, all new software” and is designed to support future traffic; he alluded to drones, eVTOLs, and advanced air mobility platforms. A new flight management system will allow direct routing and reduce airborne delays. Duffy also highlighted recruiting and training initiatives introduced in February to address ATC workforce shortages.
“You can’t build anything on top of this system that we now use. It’s so old,” Duffy said. “Technology that’s going to make us more efficient and safer can’t be deployed on what we have in America.”
“If you're 25 years old and used to the highest technology at your fingertips... and we say, ‘Come be an air traffic controller, this is the system that you get to use,’” Duffy said, referencing legacy equipment currently in use in the NAS, “they say, ‘No, thank you.’”
FAA Acting Administrator Rocheleau called the effort a “major milestone in aviation for America” during his remarks at the briefing, adding, “We’re not just planning for the future; we’re actually building it.”
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, who also spoke at the event, said the agency has made repeated safety recommendations related to ATC technology dating back nearly three decades. “The fact is, an aging system poses an untenable risk to safety,” she said. “And I am hopeful that the vital investments we’re talking about today will not only bring us closer to implementing NTSB safety recommendations but achieving our ultimate goal of zero aviation deaths.”
Broad Support from Congress and Aviation Stakeholders
Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a joint statement calling modernization “long overdue” and “a necessity for the future of American aviation and the safety of the system.” Reps. Sam Graves, Rick Larsen, Troy Nehls, and Steve Cohen pledged bipartisan support and emphasized that “we cannot afford to delay any longer.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) also endorsed the plan, calling it “past time” to address long-standing infrastructure deficiencies. “NATCA is ready to continue working with Secretary Duffy, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that all modernization efforts include involvement from the National Airspace System’s most important resource—the hardworking air traffic controllers,” said NATCA president Nick Daniels.
Air Line Pilots Association president Jason Ambrosi echoed that message: “From pilots who navigate these skies daily, our message is unequivocal: Now is the time for immediate, decisive action.”
NBAA joined with more than 50 organizations as part of the newly formed Modern Skies Coalition, urging swift congressional appropriations. “Secretary Duffy’s plan cements America as a global leader in aviation, investing in both technology and the air traffic control workforce to enhance U.S. aviation safety and reliability,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “The swift implementation of these updates is not just important, it’s imperative.”
Bolen added, “The plan makes clear that we will invest in not only having the best air traffic controllers in the world, but having them in sufficient numbers to meet future demands and challenges.”
The coalition is calling for $18.5 billion in emergency funding over the next three years in addition to the FAA’s annual facilities and equipment budget, citing decades of underinvestment. It applauded the administration’s $4 billion FY25 request and the House committee’s initial $12.5 billion funding package.