WASHINGTON — The days of bonfires guiding airplanes across the United States are long gone — but those fires' analog descendants are preventing the national aviation system from reaping the benefits of today's digital technology, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Tuesday.
"We have an analog national airspace system today," Bedford told a crowd attending the Modern Skies Summit at the Department of Transportation's headquarters in Washington. "We can do better," he later stated.
Bedford described the FAA's traffic management systems as "glorified calculators," as he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delivered an update on their ambitious project to remake American aviation and create what the administration calls the Brand New Air Traffic Control System, or BNATCS.
They urged Congress to supplement the $12.5 billion it approved last summer to begin modernizing the aviation system. Most of that money is to pay for new equipment and add air traffic controllers.
"We are going to deliver this on time, on budget," Duffy said of the project.
Duffy, Bedford and other speakers repeatedly said the U.S. air traffic control system is safe — but it's also slow, inefficient, and prone to cascading issues when problems arise. They spoke about their hopes to build a system that can adapt to future needs, while fulfilling a core duty: safety.
"We are going to make sure that everyone is safe," Duffy said. Noting the project's massive scale, he added, "We're going to make sure that we keep the airspace safe as we do an incredible overhaul."
The goal is to move on from systems that rely on outdated radar and radio networks — and in some cases, slips of paper — to ones that use modern technologies. To do that, the FAA is overseeing the replacement of copper wires with fiber optic cables and upgrading hundreds of radio and radar systems.
In total, the project spans 10 million labor hours in 4,600 locations and collaboration with 50 vendors, Duffy said, adding that the work is on schedule to be completed by the end of President Trump's term in 2028.
Frightening lapses, such as repeated disconnects between planes and air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport last year, highlight the need for change, Duffy said. He also confirmed that in some cases, the effort might employ AI. The secretary said the DOT is in contact with three companies in the AI space, but he did not identify them.
"We've looked within our couch cushions at the FAA to start the work, to find the money to begin this process," Duffy said. "But we do need the money."
If the project succeeds, Bedford said, it would cut costs across the industry. He and Duffy described how a thoughtfully designed system that's capable of a cohesive approach could organize thousands of daily flights to avoid a host of conflicts, delays and cancellations.
"We will see block times go down and we will finally be able to unlock flying from New York to L.A. in less time than it takes to do it today," Bedford said, "and that is the win: less fuel burn, less cost to actually have airplanes sit on the ground."
Such a system would place less of a burden on air traffic controllers, a prospect welcomed by National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels. New technology would not bring new competition for the controller workforce, he said, calling it a "force multiplier."
"When technology handles more of the routine, controllers get to handle more of the critical," Daniels said, adding that better systems would help controllers make better decisions.
"We stand united behind it, and we look forward to bringing the aviation system that this world deserves."
If anything, the system needs more air traffic controllers. Bedford said the agency remains short-handed and plans to hire thousands more controllers. But the Government Accountability Office noted in January that the FAA's hiring and certifying of controllers has not kept pace with the growth of air travel.
Duffy acknowledged that in recent decades, the U.S. government has paid billions of dollars to try to modernize the aviation system — but he promised his agency would hold itself accountable to ensure the job is done.
"The Congress should have faith in this DOT and this FAA, because we are building and we're building now. We're delivering on the promises that we've made."
NPR's Joel Rose contributed reporting
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