Transportation boss Sean Duffy plots multi-billion-dollar overhaul of US air traffic control by 2028

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a plan Thursday to revamp the nation’s failing air traffic control system by 2028 — following a deadly plane crash outside Washington, DC and thousands of radar and communications outages that have spooked officials, lawmakers and passengers alike.“This is bold, this is gonna be challenging, but we absolutely can do it,” Duffy declared of his plan, which calls for at least six new air traffic control centers replacing 1960s-era facilities; swapping out old-fashioned copper wiring for fiber-optic, wireless and satellite technology at 4,600 locations; and replacing 25,000 radios and more than 600 radar installations.Though Duffy’s plan didn’t come with an exact price tag, the secretary hinted it would cost “tens of billions” of dollars.Meanwhile, the Republican-led House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has already floated a proposal for the air traffic control system’s upgrade that amounts to $12.5 billion.The Trump administration has also put in a $4 billion initial budgetary request for fiscal year 2026 to update the technology and facilities.“We should be using fiber, but it’s copper.

We use radar from the 1970s,” Duffy explained.“Some of them are from the 1980s, but most of them are from the 1970s, so this technology is 50 years old that our controllers use to scan the skies and keep airplanes separated from one another.”A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official and other airline industry insiders warned earlier this week that roughly 1,000 telecom outages were plaguing the industry every week — and airports should be expecting “more and more” without a significant upgrade.That caution came after a 90-second blackout hit controllers overseeing Newark Liberty International Airport last week, when a frayed piece of copper wire caused flight disruptions and some FAA workers to take “trauma leave,” according to CNN.“I think Newark has been a great e...