U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced a plan to revitalize the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure Thursday.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) said the purpose of the plan is to address vital safety requirements and built a “state-of-the-art air traffic control system” in a Thursday press release. Its core aims are improving the safety of aircraft in the skies, cutting down on delays and pushing air travel forward.
The DOT listed several critical areas the project will address, including the installation of modern fiber, wireless and satellite equipment at more than 4,600 locations. The department also called for the acquisition of 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches and the replacement 618 old radars.
While announcing his new project, Duffy said the plan aims to move away from the “patchwork” fixes of decades-old technology and instead advocate for revitalizing the “outdated” system.
“We’ve had years of neglect, decades of neglect. It’s been a patchwork of fixes, partial funding,” he said, adding that the U.S. is wasting money using copper instead of fiber.
“We use radar from the 1970s … This technology is 50 years old that our controllers use to scan the skies and keep airplanes separated from one another,” Duffy added, noting the recent blackout at Newark Liberty International Airport, an event he said lasted from 30 to 90 seconds.
“All new hardware, all new software is going to be built into this brand new air traffic control system,” he continued.
President Donald Trump joined the conference via phone and mentioned other specifics of the project. He said the project would lead to the construction of six air traffic control coordination centers and the installation of “4,000 new high-speed network connections using fiber optic cables, satellites, and wireless technologies.”
Duffy said that in order to accomplish this “in three to four years, we need all of the money up front.” He called on Congress to support the endeavor.
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also spoke at the event. “As Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, I will work to give the Department of Transportation the resources needed to improve today’s infrastructure, to improve the technology you see in front of us,” he said.
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 08: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks alongside dated air traffic control equipment at an event unveiling a new U.S. control system at the Department of Transportation on May 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. Under the new plan the FAA will replace and improve antiquated infrastructure including radar systems, software, hardware and telecommunications networks to improve safety and reduce delays. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
This plan comes amid increased concern over the air travel infrastructure after a passenger jet collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, leaving no survivors. (RELATED: Transportation Secretary Accuses DOD Of Breaching Airspace Safety Rules In New Reagan Airport Incident)
The factors that led to this crash have been a ongoing problem at DCA with multiple near misses between aircraft over the last few decades, the Daily Caller previously reported.
Duffy, who was officially sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Transportation a day before the crash, posted on X the day after. “If there was negligence, incompetence, or failure anywhere in the system, we will find it—and I will fix it,” he wrote.
Duffy shared a December 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report by Kevin Walsh, Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity, which said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “has been slow to modernize the most critical and at-risk systems,” with some systems being up to 50 years old.
On May 1, Duffy announced a new package aimed at “allow[ing] more of the best and brightest candidates to get into air traffic facilities and on the job faster,” according to an FAA press release. The package includes securing veteran military controllers opportunities in the civilian sector, as well as offering financial benefits to graduates and new employees.
