Duffy: FAA Still Needs $20B for ATC Modernization

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told attendees at a Honeywell aviation leadership summit last week that he doesn’t have the additional $20 billion needed to build a common ATC automation platform yet, but he thinks he will get it. The reconciliation budget bill passed in July allocated $12.5 billion for ATC modernization to start the program for a “brand new” ATC system, and officials have referred to that funding as a down payment.

Duffy told AIN that the initial phase for new equipment, including fiber-optic cable and radar, should be completed in three years. New concepts of operation will come later, as will the common automation platform that takes more time to develop. He said how much time “depends on when we get the money and how fast our corporate partners can provide us options for the new common operating platform. I feel pretty good that we’re going to get the rest of the money…This is bipartisan; it is not a Republican or a Democratic issue.

“I just need a vehicle to get the money, and when you look at what an extra $20 billion will do for the economy and for safety and for the next generation of travelers, it is a cheap investment.”

The DOT is in the final stages of selecting a contractor to integrate the new system, Duffy said, adding that he and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will meet with President Donald Trump in a few weeks to discuss the potential candidates.