Feds vow to overhaul US air traffic control system while fixing problems at troubled Newark airport

A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner, several additional crashes and technical problems that resulted in mass cancellations at New Jersey's biggest airport have prompted officials to pledge a fix for the nation's outdated air traffic control system and vow to hire more controllers.

Doing so, they say, would help ensure safety and prevent the kind of problems that have plagued the Newark, New Jersey, airport since its radar system briefly failed last week.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to unveil a multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system Thursday, while the Federal Aviation Administration works to quickly solve technology and staffing problems in Newark and avoid similar crisis elsewhere.

Amid turmoil, one thing seems clear: An aging system struggles to handle the nation's more than 45,000 daily flights.

It's uncertain whether Duffy's plan that President Donald Trump supports will get the necessary congressional funding to be more effective than previous reform efforts during the last three decades. But Duffy says it's necessary. Already more than $14 billion has been invested in upgrades since 2003 but none have dramatically changed how the system works.

''We are on it. We are going to fix it. We are going to build a brand new system for all of you and your families and the American people,'' Duffy said.

But details are scant. It's unclear whether the plan will involve privatizing the air traffic control system as Trump backed in his first term. Duffy has not highlighted that possibility. Thursday's announcement is expected to attract dozens of unions, which would likely oppose privatization, along with trade groups, industry representatives and family members of victims of the January crash.

History of problems

For years, the system has operated well enough to be largely neglected by every administration, said University of Illinois professor Sheldon Jacobson, who has studied risks in aviation. ''But well enough isn't good enough when it comes to air travel because people's lives are at risk.''

Jacobson is skeptical Duffy's proposal will succeed. But there could be renewed support following the collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter over Washington D.C. in January, and a plane that flipped and caught fire in Toronto.

The weaknesses of the nation's air traffic control system have for years been highlighted in reports and hearings. Most recently, a Government Accountability Office review released in March declared that 51 of the FAA's 138 systems were considered unsustainable and another 54 were potentially unsustainable. A 2023 outage in FAA's Notice to Airmen system forced the grounding of every flight nationwide for more than two hours.

''We're dealing with an outmoded system and we have an outdated infrastructure,'' said former Continental Airlines CEO Frank Lorenzo, who helped establish a major hub in Newark that United Airlines still maintains years after acquiring Continental. ''We haven't really given it the attention that it requires.''

Outdated technology

The president of National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Congress that the majority of the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure at more than 4,600 sites relies at least in part on aging copper wires, instead of more reliable fiber optic lines that can handle more data. Unexpected outages related to those lines routinely cause ground stops at airports and appear to have led to the problems in Newark.

The radar system air traffic controllers in Philadelphia use to direct planes in and out of the Newark airport went offline for at least 30 seconds on April 28. That facility relies on radar data sent over lines from New York that may have failed, some of which are old copper phone lines. The FAA relies on those lines because Newark controllers were moved from New York to Philadelphia last summer to address staffing issues.

The FAA said Wednesday it plans to replace any old copper wires with fiber optics and add three new data lines between New York and Philadelphia. The agency is also working to get additional controllers trained and certified.

It wasn't immediately clear how long either step will take, but Duffy has said he hopes the situation in Newark will improve by summer, which is when an ongoing runway construction project is scheduled for completion. Several controllers remain on extended trauma leave after the radar outage, which worsened staff shortages in Philadelphia.

In response, the FAA has slowed traffic in and out of Newark to ensure flights can be handled safely, leading to cancellations. Duffy also said FAA will meet with all airlines to determine how many flights the airport can handle. On Wednesday, Newark led the nation with 42 canceled departures and 46 canceled arrivals, according to FlightAware.com. That's even after United cut 35 daily flights at the airport starting last weekend.

Some upgrades have been completed

The FAA has made incremental improvements as part of its Nextgen program that was established in 2003. Advancements include development of the ADS-B system that provides more precise aircraft locations to controllers and other planes. That system has been a focal point of the investigation of the January crash because the Black Hawk helicopter was not using it to broadcast its location at the time of the collision.

Duffy has also tried to supercharge air traffic controller hiring by shortening the time it takes to get into the academy and improving student success rates. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers to discourage early retirement.

A major challenge to upgrading the aviation infrastructure is that the FAA must keep the current system operating while developing a new system — and then find a way to seamlessly switch over. That's partly why the agency has pursued more gradual improvements in the past.

"The problem has existed for decades. It's not because of neglect, but because it's a hard problem to solve," said Jeff Guzetti, who is a former accident investigator who also worked in the Transportation Department's Inspector General's office for several years that was focused on aviation. ''And it requires money and good management. And the FAA has been has had shortages of both money and in some cases good management for years.''