Share and Follow

The FAA will embark on an ambitious three-year plan to modernize America’s air traffic control systems and phase out the “outdated technologies that are unable to meet” modern demands, officials said Thursday.

The federal government has been under pressure to address mounting traveler concerns in the wake of fatal crashes, ongoing delays and an embarrassing, recent revelation that the Newark Liberty International Airport tower had lost contact with pilots flying into New Jersey.

“As the National Airspace System (NAS) users increase, the FAA’s air traffic system is based on outdated technologies that are unable to meet the demands,” the FAA said in a statement on Thursday.

“These outdated systems are showing their age — which leads to delays and inefficiencies. The lack of funding for major investments in key air traffic infrastructure, such as radars, telecommunications, and facilities, is now putting the aviation sector at risk.”

The FAA plans an accelerated, “full replacement” of its current Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) network to an internet protocol, between now and 2028, in hopes of smoothing over and safeguarding communications on busy air traffic control channels, officials said.

Some air traffic voice communications systems are done on “legacy radios” more than 30 years old and “rely on outdated analog technology” and should be replaced by 2027, officials said.

The government also seeks to build six new “state-of-the-art” ATC centers “for the first time since” the 1960s, the FAA said.

The FAA also intends to quickly upgrade surveillance systems as “618 FAA airborne radar systems “exceed their intended lifespan.”

Demands on all of these systems are only growing, the government said.

“The agency needs greater technology investment to better accommodate increasing commercial space and re-entry activity and unmanned aircraft systems activity,” the FAA said.

The flying public has been growing increasingly worried in the wake of several accidents this year.

An American Eagle jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people aboard both crafts on Jan. 29.

An air ambulance crashed in northeast Philadelphia on Feb. 1, killing seven people and injuring about two dozen more.

Bering Air Flight 445 crashed on its way from Unalakleet, Alaska, to Nome on Feb. 6, killing all 10 people on board.

This is a developing story. Please check here for updates.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Jenny McCarthy vows to never return to 'The View': 'Over my dead body'

Jenny McCarthy Declares She’s Done with ‘The View’: “No Going Back for Me

Jenny McCarthy is unlikely to make a return to “The View.” During…
Minneapolis ICE shooting agitators set up camp, barricade roads as schools, businesses close in city on edge

Protesters Establish Camp and Block Roads in Minneapolis Following ICE Incident, Prompting School and Business Closures

ICE-involved shooting prompts mass protests Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams joined acting…
Photos released of Renee Nicole Good, the US citizen killed by ICE in Minnesota

Images Unveiled of Renee Nicole Good, the U.S. Citizen Fatally Shot by ICE in Minnesota

Recently released images reveal Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, who was…
Woman in Minneapolis shot and killed by ICE agent after alleged car-ramming attack, DHS says

ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Minneapolis Woman Following Alleged Car-Ramming Incident, Reports DHS

In a tense incident in Minneapolis on Wednesday, an officer from Immigration…
Questions raised about use of deadly force in shootings in Chicago-area immigration enforcement in wake of Minnesota ICE shooting

Concerns Emerge Over Use of Deadly Force in Chicago Immigration Raids After Minnesota ICE Incident

In the Chicago region, Operation Midway Blitz has seen two incidents involving…
Salt Lake City mass shooting: At least 8 people shot, 2 fatally, at LDS Mormon church in Salt Lake City, Utah, police say

Tragic Shooting at LDS Church in Salt Lake City Leaves 2 Dead, 6 Injured, Authorities Report

In a tragic turn of events in Salt Lake City, a shooting…
Crane removes Hampton Inn by Hilton sign from Minnesota hotel that allegedly denied service to DHS, ICE agents

Controversy Strikes as Hampton Inn Sign Removed Amid Allegations of Service Denial to Federal Agents

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – On Thursday, striking images surfaced depicting the removal of…
Brooklyn Beckham warned parents to only contact him through lawyers

Brooklyn Beckham Advises Parents to Communicate Exclusively via Legal Channels

The relationship dynamics within the Beckham family took a significant downturn last…