Latest news with #SurfaceAwarenessInitiative
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FAA reveals plan for new air traffic control system
May 8 (UPI) -- The nation's aging air traffic control system will be replaced with one that is aimed at 21st-century needs while improving safety, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday. "We are seizing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system," Duffy said in a Federal Aviation Administration news release. "Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age," Duffy said. "Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now." The new systems will enhance safety, lessen delays, and unlock the future of air travel, the news release stated. It also will ensure air traffic controllers have a reliable system to effectively manage and direct air traffic at the nation's airports. Duffy said a coalition that includes labor and industrial interests is helping to design a modern system that greatly improves upon the existing one. Industry experts in March affirmed the need to modernize the nation's air traffic control system. The proposed plan has four components for improving infrastructure: communications, surveillance, automation and facilities. It seeks to replace old telecommunications systems with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies at more than 4,600 sites and install 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches. The plan also requires replacing 618 radar systems that have exceeded their intended life cycles. The number of airports participating in the SurfaceAwareness Initiative is to increase to 200 and reduce the number of close calls between aircraft. The FAA also seeks to build six new air traffic control centers, which would be the first new ones in six decades. Installing new hardware and software for all air traffic control facilities will standardize their operations, while adding 174 new weather stations in Alaska will improve air travel safety there. Aerospace accounts for 5% of the nation's gross domestic product, which equals $1.25 trillion and supports more than 2 million jobs, according to the FAA. Aviation "is one of the nation's most important national security, economic and geostrategic assets," the FAA's BrandNew Air Traffic Control System report says. "It is critical the United States acts now to invest and modernize a National Airspace System that supports the future and moves beyond the 1960s," it concludes. No price tag or timeline has been placed on the plan, which was announced after the Trump administration in February fired hundreds of FAA probationary workers.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump touts 'rebuilding and modernization' of US air traffic control, blasts Buttigieg for having 'no clue'
President Donald Trump touted his administration's efforts to rebuild and modernize U.S. air traffic control, as the Department of Transportation rolled out its three-year plan to build a brand-new, "state-of-the-art" system to address critical safety needs, while blasting former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for having "no clue." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday unveiled the proposal, which would replace the current, antiquated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system and "enhance safety in the sky, reduce delays and unlock the future of air travel." Americans Deserve To Have A 'State-of-the-art' Air Travel System: Sean Duffy "Under President Trump, America is building again," Duffy said Thursday, upon rolling out the new proposal for a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system." "Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age," Duffy said, noting that building the new system "is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now." Under the new air traffic control system proposal, the FAA would replace infrastructure, including radar, software, hardware and telecommunications networks, to manage modern travel. Read On The Fox News App Newark Airport Hit With New Delays, Outage Heard On Air Traffic Control Audio Officials say the current system was built "for the past," but the new proposal is to build a system "for the future." The plan would ensure facilities are equipped with better technologies to reduce outages, improve efficiency and reinforce safety. "We're going to be buying a brand-new, state of the art system that will cover the entire world," Trump said earlier Thursday. The plan consists of four infrastructure components: communications, surveillance, automation and facilities, according to the Transportation Department. Officials plan, by 2028, to replace current telecommunications systems with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies at more than 4,600 sites, 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches. By 2027, 618 radars will also be replaced. The plan also would address runway safety by increasing the number of airports with Surface Awareness Initiative to 200. Officials expect this to be complete by 2027. Duffy Blasts Biden, Buttigieg For Ignoring Report About Failing Air Traffic Control System: 'Did Nothing!' The Transportation Department also proposed building six new air traffic control centers for the first time since the 1960s. It also proposes replacing 15 towers and 15 co-located TRACONs, or Terminal Radar Approach Controls, which are facilities that manage air traffic in the airspace surrounding busy airports. Officials also proposed the installation of new modern hardware and software for all air traffic facilities, which would create a common platform system throughout all towers, TRACONs and centers. The proposal also includes the deployment of additional technologies to the Caribbean and Alaska to provide accurate, real-time surveillance and weather information for air traffic control and pilots to ensure "safe and efficient flights for these critical locations." Officials stressed the need for a new air traffic control system, saying the FAA is grappling with a "rapidly growing, complex and demanding aviation sector," as commercial air travel returns to pre-COVID levels. Officials also pointed to novel challenges, including drones and advanced air mobility. Officials said the FAA's current systems "are showing their age," which leads to "delays and inefficiencies." The Department of Transportation stressed that the current National Airspace System is "safe," but stressed that maintaining safety is necessary. The proposal is based on a three-year framework to reinvest in the National Airspace System, and called for an "emergency supplemental funding increase." Astounding New Audio Shows Air Traffic Controllers Reacting To Faa Tech Outage: 'This Is A Serious Issue' "Modernization of the NAS can no longer take 10+ years to complete; it must be done now," the proposal states. "We need an immediate infusion of funding to address critical infrastructure needs." Duffy, on Thursday, said the project would take three to four years. "I need help, I can't do it by myself. And it's going to take the help of the Congress to make that happen," Duffy said. "We need all of the money up front." Duffy said requesting the money in "small tranches" over the course of several years would extend the project. "Politics change, leadership changes, presidents change, interest changes, and it never gets built," Duffy said. "So I'm going to ask the Congress for upfront appropriations to give us all the money. I'll come before the Congress every, every quarter and give them an update of how far we've built, how much money we've spent." Duffy added that if the Department of Transportation is not given the money, it would take "10 to 15 years to build this." "And by the time we get done with it, what we're going to build is already going to be old technology," Duffy said. "So we want to build this in three to four years, and we can do it with the help of Congress." A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in March shows that the Trump administration inherited an outdated FAA system from the Biden administration with "severe shortcomings" that resulted in dangerous travel conditions across the country. After Trump's return to the White House, the GAO advised the administration that it had made nine recommendations to the FAA under the Biden administration that remain open, and that "urgent attention" is needed to remedy the safety issues left by Biden. GAO said that under the Biden administration the FAA "did not prioritize or establish near-term plans to modernize unsustainable and critical systems." The GAO's 2025 report said the 2023 national airspace prompted an operational risk assessment, which found that of the 138 air traffic control systems, "51 (37%) were deemed unsustainable by FAA and 54 (39%) were potentially unsustainable." Trump, on Thursday, blasted the current "ancient infrastructure," saying that "it's buckling under the weight of more than a billion flying passengers a year and supporting hundreds of billions of dollars." "Pete Buttigieg, who was the secretary of transportation, had no clue what the problem was," Trump said. "He had no clue. Zero. Zero." Trump said Buttigieg "wants to run for president." "I don't think he's going to do too well," Trump said. "The federal government now pays $250 million annually just to keep up the old equipment and keep it running." Meanwhile, Duffy on Thursday said the administration has assembled an "unprecedented coalition of support" from labor to industry, stressing that support is "indicative of just how important it is to this administration to get done what no one else could." Duffy added: "The American people are counting on us, and we won't let them down." The rollout of the proposal comes just days after the FAA issued a ground delay for Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey due to staffing shortages, weather and construction. "Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce," an FAA statement said. "As Secretary Duffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible." It also comes after air traffic controller audio was made public from when radar and radio communications with planes were briefly lost at Newark Liberty International Airport on April 28. The April 28 outage lasted roughly 90 seconds. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital, writing that the FAA's operation in Philadelphia had "temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them." FOX Business' Grady Trimble contributed to this report. Original article source: Trump touts 'rebuilding and modernization' of US air traffic control, blasts Buttigieg for having 'no clue'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FAA announces new air traffic control safety technology at these Utah airports
The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced new air traffic control safety technology will be implemented at Salt Lake City International Airport, Ogden-Hinckley Airport and Provo Municipal Airport as part of its Surface Safety Portfolio initiatives. The FAA plans to deploy a new Runway Incursion Device — a memory aid that gives auditory and visual alerts to air traffic control about whether a runway is occupied — at Salt Lake City International and Ogden-Hinckley airports. The device will be at these airports by the end of fall 2026 and will be implemented by 74 airports in total by the end of 2026. "The Runway Incursion Device is another vital tool to keep the flying public safe," said Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau in a news release. "These initiatives will continue to address the needs of our controllers by cutting through the red tape and bringing the most up-to-date technologies to their fingertips." This tool comes as the third and final initiative of the administration's Surface Safety Portfolio, created in February 2023 to address aviation safety concerns nationwide. As part of the portfolio, Salt Lake City International, Ogden-Hinckley and Provo Municipal airports will also implement Approach Runway Verification technology, a function within the existing flight-tracking system that alerts air traffic control if an aircraft is not aligned with the approved runway while preparing to land. That technology is currently operational at 77 airports, but there isn't yet an estimated date for when it will be provided in the Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo airports. The Surface Safety Portfolio also includes the Surface Awareness Initiative, a technology that provides real-time depictions of aircraft and other vehicles transmitting Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast on airport surfaces. This may be necessary at airports where tower controllers do not have a clear view of all activity on the surface because it allows them to have a better understanding of any obstacles on the surface, reducing the likeliness of runway incursions. According to its website, the FAA does not currently have plans to implement the technology at any Utah airports. The portfolio's goal is zero serious close calls, including surface incidents and runway incursions. According to the FAA, a runway incursion is "any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and takeoff of aircraft." Surface incidents are described as being a less severe occurrence whenever there is unauthorized movement in a designated area associated with an aircraft that could affect the safety of flight. On March 20 — one day after the FAA announced the Runway Incursion Device being launched in over 70 airports — pilots at the Orlando International Airport mistakenly tried to take off using a taxiway that ran parallel to the runway they were cleared to use, causing a surface incident. An air traffic controller recognized the error and canceled the aircraft's takeoff clearance, stopping the plane. Tools like the Approach Runway Verification and Runway Incursion Device are created to increase situational awareness for air traffic controllers, allowing them to better facilitate aircraft movements within controlled airspace. The FAA plans to integrate Approach Runway Verification at Orlando International Airport in the future. For more information on the FAA's Surface Safety Portfolio initiatives, visit its website here.
