FAA, DOT reveals plans to modernize air traffic control and reduce delays
In the wake of technology failures at Newar Liberty International Airport, the plan aims to improve the safety and efficiency of air travel.
Colorado’s air traffic control facility experienced a communication halt earlier this week. This is the latest in a series of federal aviation management equipment failures that have sparked concerns about the country’s air traffic control infrastructure.
According to the FAA, some of the Denver Airways Transportation Control Center lost communication with the plane for about 90 seconds on May 12th around 1:50pm local time. The agency said that the transmitter covering airspace segments has dropped, but the controller could use a different frequency to send instructions to the pilot.
“The aircraft remained safely separated and had no impact on operations,” the FAA said in a statement. The agency said it was investigating the incident.
Franklin McIntosh, the FAA’s Deputy Director of Air Traffic Control, confirmed communications halted at the May 15 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives, Reuters reported.
MacIntosh said that both the main and backup frequencies failed, but the controller could send it to the aircraft and move it to the secondary frequency. He added that there was no loss of separation between the planes during the stoppage.
“They did the safety protocols accurately,” MacIntosh said at the hearing.
Denver’s Air Route Transport Control Center covers approximately 285,000 square miles of airspace in parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, according to its website.
A series of telecommunications halts at a facility that oversees air traffic at Newar Liberty International Airport in New Jersey caused nationwide headlines in recent weeks due to air traffic staffing issues and equipment failures. Delays and cancellations at the airport have continued since the initial shutdown on April 28, when the controller temporarily lost radar and radio communications with the aircraft.
Renewed concerns about aging air traffic control systems
At a press conference on May 13, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged that the country’s air traffic control system shows signs of its age.
Duffy said the FAA is deciding to upgrade the hardware that hardware air traffic controllers rely on, prioritizing passenger safety. But until that happens, according to Duffy, airlines could be forced to schedule their flight space to keep them safe.
The Transport Secretary previously proposed on May 8 that billions of dollars would be spent on modernizing the air traffic control system, estimated that the project would take three to four years.
“The system here isn’t worth saving,” Duffy said at an event announcing the plans. “In fact, we need to build a brand new cutting edge air traffic control system… we’re going this far too long.”
According to a 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office, the FAA has 138 information systems for air traffic control, with 51 being unsustainable due to outdated functionality, lack of spare parts and other issues. The report called on government agencies to take “urgent action” and said the FAA was “slow modernisation.”
Contributions: Zach Weight, USA Today; Reuters
