An effort by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize the nation’s aging air traffic control system is moving forward with more than 10,000 projects under way.
The first phase is expected to cost about $16 billion, and Congress has already appropriated $12.5 billion for the work.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told a House appropriations subcommittee this month that the agency is using its existing facilities and equipment budget to cover the current funding gap and is seeking at least another $10 billion for the next phase of the modernization effort.
The first two phases of the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) program focus on replacing core infrastructure in six key areas. The work includes updating communications systems, improving surveillance and automating some of the information used by air traffic controllers.
Outdated systems and equipment that control communications are being updated, like new voice switches and radios for better reliability and clearer communication. In addition, by Sept. 1, Bedford said that the BNATCS program had replaced 64 percent of the old copper wire network with new high-speed fiber optic cable for more dependable communications.
In the area of surveillance, old radar systems are being replaced to provide more accurate tracking of air traffic and ground movement on taxiways and runways.
FAA is also automating the way air traffic controllers monitor traffic from the control tower. Replacing paper flight strips with electronic data displayed at their workstations will help controllers keep up with and share flight information in real time. Additionally, control towers are gaining E-IDS systems that will allow better connections across FAA systems.
Many airports are making facilities changes that include support systems like upgrading power and grounding to the physical structures.
A specific goal for the state of Alaska is to replace aging systems with those that will increase weather awareness and visibility updates for pilots in an ever-changing and often remote environment.
New training simulators and remote-control towers are also being deployed in some areas.
In addition to the high-speed fiber optic communication cables, Bedford told the subcommittee that towers have added 21 electronic displays, installed 101 surface-awareness systems, converted 403 radio sites and installed six surface-movement radars at five airports.
The FAA website launched the interactive Modern Skies tool in May that displays the more than 10,000 ongoing modernization projects that have either begun or will begin within 30 days and gives a progress summary. The site includes an interactive map as well as the ability to search by airport, city, state, ZIP code or congressional district.
A Government Accountability Office report in September 2024 found that more than 75 percent of the FAA’s 138 existing air traffic control systems were unsustainable or potentially unsustainable.
The FAA announced the BNATCS program in May 2025.
Photo by Soly Moses from Pexels
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