U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy continued his push for further federal investment into modernization of the air traffic control system, reiterating to lawmakers yesterday that it will take $31.5 billion “to do the full project.”
Duffy on Wednesday appeared before the full House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to discuss a range of priorities for the Department of Transportation.
“The 67 lives lost by a midair collision of an army helicopter and a commercial flight over the Potomac was a stark reminder of what’s at stake in our most fundamental mission at the Department of Transportation,” he said. “This tragic episode is also why the construction of a brand-new air traffic control system is at the top of our agenda.”
He appreciated that Congress allocated $12.5 billion and again called it a down payment. Duffy further said that funding appears to garner strong support on both sides of the aisle.
He noted that he has outlined a three-to-four-year plan to completely overhaul the outdated system. While stressing that flying is safe, Duffy reminded the committee of the glitches in the Tracon in Philadelphia that impacted Newark, New Jersey airspace. Those and others “have exposed issues within the system as a whole,” he said, adding that this is helping drive the effort for a new ATC system—“state of the art, gold plated.”
This is an imperative, Duffy added, with more commercial flights, expanding commercial space launches, the proliferation of drones, and the introduction of advanced air mobility vehicles.
As for the $12.5 billion, Duffy said that would pave the way for new telecom, radio, voice switches, and radar technologies, along with a new air route traffic control center (ARTCC). This is critical because the last ARTCC system built dates to 1967, he estimated.
But DOT has ambitions for six such facilities, and most of its expansive overhaul plans are for the next three years. “We will need more [funding] to do it,” he told the committee. “My hope is that we’ll have an additional conversation about how we can do that, and I think time is of the essence…We need to be doing this now.”
Duffy expressed confidence that, with the right resources, the FAA can meet the administration’s timeline, noting that the FAA has had procurement flexibility it hasn’t used before. He also expressed a desire to work more closely with industry, including “the CEOs.” In addition, he said, “recent changes at Newark Liberty International Airport have demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposal to fix the aging system.”
The hearing discussed a range of topics across all modes of transportation and involving the FAA. He was asked about protecting U.S. exports. While not specifically mentioning tariffs, Duffy responded: “Well, I think just free markets, free trade,” and pointed to the fact that the aviation industry is a net exporter to the benefit of the U.S.
He was also asked about the 1,500-hour requirement for airline pilots. Duffy supported 1,500 hours as a baseline but remained open to considering how new technologies, including simulator training, could shape that. But he stressed that there are no plans in the works to change the rule.
Duffy further updated on controller hiring, saying the FAA remains on track to hire 2,000 controllers this year, with hopes to push that up to 2,500 next year.