The United States relies on an air traffic control (ATC) system with roots back to 1930, when the first ATC tower was built at Cleveland Airport. This milestone marked the beginning of a coordinated approach to managing aircraft in increasingly crowded airspace. Today, the National Airspace System (NAS) handles over 45,000 flights daily, connecting millions of passengers and cargo shipments.
However, much of the infrastructure guiding these flights has not fundamentally changed in decades and is straining under rising demand. This includes radar towers, radio systems and manual procedures. While safety has been maintained, the system is vulnerable to inefficiencies and disruptions, highlighted by the nationwide NOTAM system outage in January 2023, which caused the first US ground stop since 9/11.
With commercial air travel rebounding to pre-pandemic levels and new entrants such as drones, advanced air mobility and commercial space vehicles entering the airspace, the FAA now aims to modernise a nearly century-old system. Earlier this year, US Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced a plan to build a new air traffic control system that is to replace the current infrastructure.
Secretary Duffy said:We are seizing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system. Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age. Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now. The unprecedented coalition of support we’ve assembled – from labor to industry – is indicative of just how important it is to this administration.
The FAA plan outlines several areas of focus:
Communications: Upgrades will involve the installation of fibre, wireless and satellite technologies across more than 4,600 sites. This includes the deployment of 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches.
Surveillance: The plan calls for the replacement of 618 radar systems that have exceeded their intended service life.
Automation: New software and hardware will be introduced to create a standardised platform across all air traffic control towers, terminal radar approach control facilities (TRACONs), and en route centres.
Facilities: Six new air traffic control centres will be built, and many existing towers and TRACONs will also be replaced or modernised.
Surface movement radar: Upgrades are also planned for surface movement radar, which provides real-time monitoring of airport operations to enhance safety. At present, many systems are outdated, and a number of smaller airports lack surface surveillance altogether, leaving them more vulnerable to runway incursions.
NextGen System
Central to the FAA’s modernisation plan is the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), which aims to transform air traffic control through satellite-based navigation, surveillance and automation. Replacing legacy radar with GPS and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) will allow aircraft to fly more precise routes, optimising descent and climb profiles, and reducing congestion in busy airspace.
Within this system, optimised profile descent enables aircraft to descend continuously rather than in stepwise increments, saving fuel, reducing noise and cutting emissions. Airlines using this system at major hubs can reportedly save hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel per aircraft annually, underscoring the system’s operational and environmental benefits.
Modernisation also extends beyond navigation. Data communications (Data Comm) technology can reduce reliance on voice instructions to lower error rates and congestion on radio channels. Meanwhile, advanced traffic flow management (TFM) systems can help balance airspace capacity with flight demand, and integrated weather tools will allow controllers to anticipate disruptions. This will mitigate delays caused by snowstorms, thunderstorms or other severe conditions.
Automation and Facility Upgrades
Automation upgrades are also seen as imperative. Duffy states that legacy platforms such as the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) and En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) are siloed, costly and increasingly unreliable. A unified automation platform would streamline operations, enhance cybersecurity and enable faster deployment of new technologies.
Facility maintenance is seen as equally urgent. Many towers, TRACONs and en route centres suffer from deteriorating infrastructure, including HVAC failures, leaking roofs and asbestos hazards. The FAA replaces one tower per year, meaning a full replacement of the 377 FAA-owned towers would take over 300 years at current rates. Accelerated funding could reduce this timeline to 80 years, supporting safer, more efficient operations.
Emerging Airspace Demands
Modernisation must also accommodate new entrants and expanding air traffic, from unmanned aircraft systems (drones) to commercial space launches. Programmes like Alaska Automation Capability (AAC) aim to address unique challenges in remote areas where aviation is essential for transportation, healthcare and emergency response. Upgrading Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) and Visual Weather Observing Systems (VWOS) is also critical for safe operations in these environments.
Economic Implications
Investment in modernisation is expected to have strong economic benefits. Aviation generates 5% of US GDP, valued at approximately 1.25 trillion USD. It also employs over 2 million people, exceeding the economic scale of the automotive industry. In addition, efficient air traffic management supports not only commercial aviation but also national security and US competitiveness in a global aviation market.
Arguably, the US air traffic control system is suffering from decades of underfunding. With surging traffic and new aviation entrants, the urgency to modernise the system has increased.
By upgrading telecommunications and radar systems, surface surveillance, automation and facilities, the FAA aims to tackle these challenges head-on. Rapid investment in modernisation is expected to enhance operational efficiency, reduce delays, improve safety outcomes and support the growing demand in aviation.
This article was originally published in the Airport Industry-News magazine.
