In the wake of a fatal mid-air collision and a series of near misses, the Trump administration is calling on Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars to replace the nation’s aging air traffic control (ATC) system – an overhaul officials say is urgently needed to ensure airspace safety.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking at a press conference Thursday, described the current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system as outdated and difficult to maintain. He called on Congress to fully fund the project upfront, stating that the Department of Transportation is prepared to deliver a new air traffic control system in “three to four years.”
“We need all of the money up front,” Duffy said.
President Donald Trump joined the press conference by phone and stated his administration would award “one big, beautiful system” to a single contractor, replacing the FAA’s antiquated infrastructure with “all brand new” technology.
The push for modernization follows a tragic collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people. Other recent incidents include a series of near-misses on runways and a temporary loss of radar communications at Newark Liberty International Airport.
A system under strain
The current ATC system, some of which dates back decades, has long been considered ill-equipped for the complexity of modern air traffic. A 2023 report by an independent FAA panel found that critical components were so outdated that replacement parts had to be sourced from platforms like eBay. A separate Government Accountability Office report in September found that 51 of the FAA’s 138 air traffic control systems were unsustainable.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, reiterated her agency’s long-standing concerns, calling a major investment “absolutely necessary to ensure safety in our skies.”
The announcement was backed by CEOs from United, American, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, who took turns voicing support for the overhaul, suggesting broad industry alignment.
Airspace safety in the drone age
While the system’s age poses clear risks for traditional aircraft, the situation is even more complicated for UAS. The FAA currently tracks more than 870,000 registered drones in the U.S., a figure expected to continue rising rapidly as commercial, industrial and recreational use expands.
The current air traffic infrastructure, built for crewed aviation, was never designed to monitor or manage low-altitude autonomous aircraft. Drone sightings near airports have already resulted in flight delays, runway disruptions and evasive action by manned aircraft.
According to an Associated Press analysis of NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, drones accounted for nearly two-thirds of all near midair collisions involving commercial flights at the nation’s 30 busiest airports last year – the highest rate since 2020.
Efforts to develop a dedicated UAS Traffic Management system are underway, led by the FAA and NASA. However, those systems remain experimental and largely disconnected from national ATC operations. Without deeper integration, drones will continue to operate outside of the traditional traffic picture—posing a growing risk to both commercial aviation and public safety.
The upcoming overhaul offers a rare chance to modernize ATC in a way that includes drones from the ground up. Efforts should be taken to ensure that future airspace management accounts for both manned and unmanned systems, especially as advanced air mobility platforms begin to emerge.
While there appears to be growing bipartisan recognition of the system’s deficiencies, funding the overhaul remains a major obstacle. The administration has not yet named a contractor, though Trump has previously floated companies such as Raytheon or IBM as potential candidates.
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