By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday called on Congress to award another $19 billion to overhaul the aging U.S. air traffic control system after lawmakers approved an initial $12.5 billion over five years in funding.
“We are going to need more money from the Congress,” Duffy said at a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, calling for a funding plan backed by airlines and other aviation groups. “We’re talking $31.5 billion to do the full project.”
The issues plaguing the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control network have been years in the making, but a rush of high-profile mishaps, near-misses and a catastrophic crash in January between a U.S. Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines jet that killed 67 has spiked public alarm.
USDOT plans to upgrade outdated radar and telecommunications systems, air traffic control towers and other facilities. It also plans to increase the staffing of air traffic controllers and has adopted new incentives to retain controllers.
The law signed by President Donald Trump approving $12.5 billion for air traffic control earlier this month includes $2 billion for the first new en-route air traffic center since the 1960s. The administration wants to name a company to help oversee the massive job. Trump said in April that a company like Raytheon or IBM may get the contract.
The FAA wants to purchase new radios and network connections, replace 618 radar systems and install anti-collision tarmac technology at 200 airports.
Duffy wants new funding for airport equipment to prevent near-miss incidents and incentives to boost the hiring and retention of air traffic controllers, an occupation that is 3,500 short of targeted staffing.
Last month, a National Academies of Sciences report said the FAA’s overtime costs for air traffic controllers have jumped by more than 300% since 2013. The report found that the FAA’s air traffic workforce in 2024 logged 2.2 million hours of overtime, costing $200 million.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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