CEOs from major U.S. airlines have come together in support of a new federal plan aimed at modernizing air traffic control systems across the nation.
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the new plan to overhaul America’s air traffic control technology during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
The plan, which Duffy said will cost tens of billions of dollars, will address long-needed upgrades to all front-facing and backend systems for controllers with new hardware and software.
The three-year plan also includes installing new telecommunications, fiber lines and radios, as well as new ground radars and sensors at airports.
The initiative comes after January’s deadly aircraft collision at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.
“After DCA, I committed that I was going to look over the horizon and see what issues we do have and how we can fix them to make sure we don’t have more families that go through what the DCA families have gone through,” Duffy said during the press conference. “This is a way to honor. This is a way to respect. This is a way to pay it forward and to do the right thing to keep our families and our communities safe when they use our airspace.”
The proposed plan can be read in full here.
Airline Leaders Comment
Speaking at the conference were United CEO Scott Kirby, American CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty, and Southwest CEO Robert Jordan.
Kirby thanked all aviation workers for their commitment to safety, and Jordan affirmed there was “widespread agreement” that a solution for aging air traffic control technology was needed.
“We’re taking quick and decisive action,” Isom said. “And that’s not just with this plan, but it’s also in the wake of [flight] 5342 to address helicopter traffic in DCA and throughout the country as well. American operates more flights, employs more people than any other airline in network. [For] our customers, our team members, and all of us in this industry, we need a more robust and modern air traffic control system to get people where they want to go safely and on time.”
Geraghty said that because JetBlue is the only airline headquartered in New York City, they know a lot about air traffic control delays and challenges.
“This has quite literally been our number one priority for decades,” she said. “I am proud to stand here today with what appears to be a solution and a path to move forward. Thank you, mister secretary. JetBlue is here to do our part.”
Bastian pointed to ongoing issues at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and 2023’s nationwide NOTAM outage as recent examples of outdated systems bogging down American aviation.
“It’s hard to believe and, frankly, unacceptable that many of the systems our air traffic rely on today are more than 60 years old,” he said. “It’s past time that we change that. So it’s an honor to be here today among so many of our industry partners while getting a first look at what the secretary has put forward.”
