a A fatal air collision In January, between military helicopters and commercial passenger aircraft, Some additional crashes And with the technical issues that led to massive cancellations at New Jersey's biggest airport, authorities have pledged to fix the country's outdated air traffic control system and to hire more controllers.
Doing so will help you stay safe and prevent the troubled problems they are saying. Newark, New Jersey Airport That radar system temporarily failed last week.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce a multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the country's air traffic control system on Thursday, with the Federal Aviation Administration working to quickly resolve Newark's technology and staffing issues and avoid similar crisis elsewhere.
In the midst of the confusion, one thing seems clear. The aging system struggles to handle over 45,000 flights every day.
It is unclear whether Duffy's plan, supported by President Donald Trump, will get the Congressional funding needed to be more effective than previous reform efforts over the past 30 years. But Duffy says that's what he needs. Already over $14 billion has been invested in upgrades since 2003, but none dramatically changes how the system works.
“We're working on that. We're going to fix it. We're going to build a brand new system for you, your family and Americans,” Duffy said.
However, details are scarce. It is unclear whether the plan would involve privatizing the air traffic control system when Trump backed him in his first term. Duffy doesn't emphasize that possibility. The announcement on Thursday is expected to attract dozens of unions likely to oppose privatization, along with trade groups, industry representatives and family members of the victims of the crash in January.
The history of the problem
For years, the system has been operating well enough that all administrations have largely ignored by all administrations. “But it's not enough when it comes to air travel, as people's lives are at risk.”
Jacobson's skeptical Duffy's proposal would be successful. However, there could be updated support following the collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter through Washington, DC in January. I turned it over and set it on fire In Toronto.
The weaknesses of the country's air traffic control system have been highlighted for many years in reports and hearings. More recently, a government accountability review released in March saw 51 of the FAA's 138 systems as unsustainable, while another 54 were declared unsustainable. a 2023 Stopped Notification of FAA airlines forced all flights across the country to ground for more than two hours.
“We deal with outdated systems and have outdated infrastructure,” said Frank Lorenzo, former CEO of Continental Airlines. “We really don't give it the necessary attention.”
Outdated technology
The chairman of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Congress that the majority of the FAA's communications infrastructure, which is located at more than 4,600 sites, relies, at least in part, on copper wire, instead of more reliable fiber optic lines that can process more data. The unexpected outages associated with these lines seemed to have caused ground stops at airports on a regular basis, leading to Newark problems.
Radar Systems Air Traffic Controller in Philadelphia Used to steer planes inside and outside Newark Airport I went offline for at least 30 seconds April 28th. The facility relies on radar data sent to lines from New York that could have failed, partly with older copper telephone lines. The FAA relies on these lines as Newark Controllers move from New York to Philadelphia last summer to address staffing issues.
The FAA said Wednesday it plans to replace the old copper wire with fiber optics and add three new data lines between New York and Philadelphia. The agency is also working on training and certified additional controllers.
It wasn't immediately known whether or not the time would take, but Duffy said he hopes Newark situation improves by summer. Some controllers remained during trauma leave, which was extended after radar shutdowns, exacerbating the shortage of staff in Philadelphia.
In response, the FAA has slowed traffic inside and outside Newark, allowing flights to be handled safely, leading to cancellations. Duffy also said the FAA will meet with all airlines to determine how many flights the airport can handle. On Wednesday, Newark led the country with 42 cancelled departures and 46 cancelled arrivals, according to FlightAware.com. That's even after United cut 35 flights at the airport since last weekend.
Some upgrades have been completed
The FAA is making progressive improvements as part of the NextGen program established in 2003. ADS-B System This will provide accurate aircraft locations with controllers and other planes. The system was the focus investigation The crash crash in January as the Black Hawk helicopter had not used it to broadcast the location in the event of the crash.
Duffy also attempted to compensate for the employment of air traffic controllers by entering the academy and reducing the time it takes to improve student success rates. The FAA offers bonuses to experienced controllers to prevent early retirement.
The main challenge for upgrading aviation infrastructure is that FAAs need to find ways to keep current systems running and seamlessly switch between them. That is part of the reason why government agencies have pursued more progressive improvements in the past.
“This issue has been around for decades, not because of neglect, but because it's a difficult problem to solve,” said Jeff Gusetti, a former accident investigator who worked in the general's office in the transportation department for several years, focusing on aviation. “And that requires money and good management. And the FAA has had a shortage of both good management for years and sometimes good management.”
