US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has called for $30 billion to modernise the Federal Aviation Administration’s ageing air-traffic control system, as officials seek congressional backing for a sweeping upgrade.
Duffy said the money was needed to replace outdated technology and infrastructure across the aviation network. The proposal includes improvements to air-traffic control towers, communications systems, software, runways and other airport facilities.
The funding request is linked to the Modern Skies Act, introduced in September by Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri. The legislation would divide the investment between digital air-traffic control systems, aviation infrastructure and grants for airport improvements.
The FAA has already received $12.5 billion as an initial investment in the modernisation programme. The agency says work under that funding includes replacing old copper telecommunications lines with fibre-optic connections, installing new radios and radar systems, and expanding technology designed to improve runway safety.
Duffy has described the current system as outdated and vulnerable to disruption. The FAA’s wider plan includes replacing hundreds of ageing radars, upgrading communications at thousands of sites and building new air-traffic control centres.
Donna Crane, a political science lecturer at San Jose State University, said the scale of the proposal could create an opportunity for lawmakers from both parties to reach an agreement.
Crane said bipartisan legislation could emerge in January as Congress considers how to fund the next stage of the FAA overhaul. The proposal has also received support from aviation industry organisations, airlines and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
