U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and FAA officials met with industry stakeholders this week as they shape their plans for moving expeditiously forward with a modernized air traffic control system. The FAA has issued a request for information on a potential integrator to play a central role in that modernization effort, with a contract award anticipated by the end of September.
Modernization of the system and a ramped-up air traffic control hiring process have become urgent priorities at both the FAA and DOT, and lawmakers in both the House and Senate have proposed an additional $12.5 billion to be set aside for those efforts. While the funding has been included in each chamber’s Republican-led budget reconciliation bill, it has universal support from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill.
“We have an antiquated air traffic control system that is showing its age,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, adding that to execute their plans, “We need the technical expertise and management experience from the best innovators in the world.”
Plans call for replacing the current system, the DOT said. This includes the core infrastructure encompassing radar, software, hardware, and telecommunications networks, with the integrator managing the acquisition and deployment of the new technologies.
As a first step, leaders gathered this week to discuss innovative ideas, new technologies, and new procurement strategies.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a new, world-class air traffic system,” said acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau. “We need world-class innovators to step up and tell us the best way to build it.”
NBAA, among the participants, praised the gathering. Association president and CEO Ed Bolen noted that unique circumstances have heightened the calls for this effort. “People sometimes ask, ‘What’s different this time?’” Bolen said. “They recall that the aviation community has previously held up ATC transformation as a priority, requiring a big investment. The answer is, we have witnessed a series of tragic accidents and troubling incidents that have focused not just the aviation community on transformation, but the White House, DOT, FAA, and the American public on the urgency of this matter as never before.”
Bolen noted that the FAA has the authority to move forward with an expedited acquisition process, but has not fully used that in a way that would be required for a project of this scale at an expedited timeline.
“To move forward on transformation with urgency will require new thinking on processes and milestones, with input from all end-users,” Bolen said. “This gathering marks a powerful step forward for building a brand-new air traffic control system.”
Bolen added that past shortfalls in the implementation of new technologies have a broad reach from small community airports to outages such as those recently in the Northeast.
“The delays and safety concerns caused by aging technology make clear that system transformation is no longer an option—it’s an absolute ‘must do’ if we are going to continue to efficiently and safely manage operations today, and in the decades to come,” he said.
Some of the initiatives discussed included an enterprise challenge, targeted investment for upgrades, and a service model for technology developers to commit to continual upgrades over their service contracts.