Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the U.S. air traffic system as antiquated on Wednesday and urged the Senate to pass the Big Beautiful Bill which has $12.5 billion earmarked for upgrades to the system.

Duffy, speaking at the Transportation Department, was providing updates on the situation at Newark International Airport in New Jersey where outdated infrastructure and staffing shortfalls have already triggered radar and telecom outages there. 

“We have an antiquated and old air traffic control system, anywhere from 25 to 35, 40 years old in some places,” Duffy said. “It is in desperate need, of a brand-new build. We need Congress to act.”

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference to provide a status update on Newark Liberty International Airport at the Department of Transportation in Washington, Wednesday, May 28, 2025.  (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., left and Spencer Platt/Getty Images, right. )

Additionally, only 16 of the 27 people at Philadelphia TRACON, which controls Newark’s airspace, are working due to trauma leave and medical leave, Duffy said. Five of the 27 are supervisors.

He said that 16 controllers are in training and will be deployed over the coming months. 

A United plane is parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey on May 7, 2025. ( Kena Betancur / AFP)

“We normally run 50–54 departures an hour at Newark. That’s now down to 28 an hour due to staffing,” Duffy said. 
“When the runway reopens June 15, we’ll bump that up to 34 an hour and reassess again in October once more controllers are certified.”

There is currently a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers across the U.S., Duffy said but he insisted the system is safe.