Calls to modernise the US air traffic control system have intensified after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop, with Delta chief executive Ed Bastian warning that outdated technology is making some flights take longer than they did in the 1950s.
Bastian said the journey from Atlanta to LaGuardia now takes longer than when Delta began operating the route decades ago, blaming congestion and slow air traffic control systems.
“That’s the air traffic control system. It’s very slow. It’s congested,” he told TODAY in May 2025. “If you modernize the skies, you can kind of bring greater efficiency.”
The airline executive said modernisation should involve satellite technology, GPS and more advanced equipment. At present, controllers are required to work with a radar-based system dating from the 1960s.
“The screens look like something out of the 1960s and ‘70s,” Mr Bastian said. “Our controllers and our operators need the best in order to keep us safe and make sure it maintains its safety record.”
His comments came amid continuing disruption linked to problems with air traffic control systems, including delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport. Mr Bastian said the system remained safe despite reports this year of emergency landings, machinery failures, a collision and other air traffic control problems.
“It is absolutely safe. It’s the safest form of transportation in the world,” he said. “The most skilled aviation professionals in the world work and operate the U.S. airspace. So it is absolutely safe.”
Mr Bastian said safety did not make it acceptable for antiquated technology to continue operating the country’s airspace.
Plans to replace outdated air traffic control equipment
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and President Donald Trump announced plans in May 2025 to build a new air traffic control system, describing it as one that would be “the envy of the world”.
The proposals include replacing outdated infrastructure with wireless and satellite technology at more than 4,600 air traffic control sites. They also involve building six new air traffic coordination centres and replacing towers and terminal radar approach control facilities.
The FAA has said that old infrastructure is affecting its workforce and that controllers need access to the best safety technology as soon as possible. Reuters reported in late March that the agency was short of about 3,500 air traffic controllers.
Mr Duffy called on Congress to provide $50 billion for the modernisation programme. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has estimated the cost at $12.5 billion, while the Modern Skies Coalition, an umbrella group for aviation organisations, put the figure at $31 billion or more.
In the meantime, airlines have been reducing their operations at Newark to ease congestion, according to Mr Bastian.
“Now, that’s not good in the long run. It’s not good for consumers,” he said. “It’s not good for the airport itself, but it’s the only thing that we have in the meantime.”
