The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled an $835.8 million federal investment on May 15 to replace and upgrade aging air traffic control facilities nationwide, including full tower replacements and equipment modernization projects at dozens of airports.
The new funding includes $750 million to construct eight air traffic control towers at airports in Charleston and Greer, South Carolina; Sacramento and San Jose, Ccalifornia; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Pocatello, Idaho; Lawton, Oklahoma and Tamiami, Florida.
The remaining $85.8 million, sourced from the FAA Contract Tower Competitive Grant Program, will support modernization efforts at Federal Contract Towers serving 41 airports. This portion includes funding from an annual $20 million FCT Grant Program, and it will affect facilities across 24 states.
According to FAA 2024 figures, 265 airport towers share costs with the federal government. This round of projects will include specific tower equipment upgrades like radios, automated voice recorders and lighting, as well as facilities improvements like new HVAC, roofing, elevators and windows.
The funding is aimed at replacing aging infrastructure that has become increasingly costly to maintain while still advancing the FAA’s broader modernization effort, Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS), launched in May 2025. BNATCS was proposed as a means to reduce flight delays as reports showed equipment-related flight delay minutes in 2025 were roughly 300% higher than the 2010–2024 average.
That initiative was authorized with $12.5 billion in congressional funding, but FAA officials expect the program will need an additional $20 billion going forward.
Photo by Soly Moses from Pexels
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