How Outdated Tech Is Fueling the FAA's Challenges

( The Hill Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has made aggressive moves for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resolve the country's crucial shortfall of air traffic controllers, but outdated equipment has long compounded problems with ensuring air travel safety.

Flight disruptions The issues at Newark Liberty International Airport this week have highlighted the connection between obsolete technology systems and the scarcity of available air traffic controllers.

“The staffing of controllers and the advancement of infrastructure are inherently interconnected,” stated National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels. warned lawmakers During a congressional hearing in March, they stated, "The FAA requires a well-staffed team of thoroughly certified controllers so that they can effectively develop, test, implement, and provide training for new technologies and modernization initiatives within schedule and cost constraints."

Chairman of the House Transportation andInfrastructure Committee, Representative Sam Graves (R-Mo.), released a budget proposal Last week, it included $15 billion for updating air traffic control (ATC) systems.

"Our country's air traffic control system is obsolete and needs to be updated for the betterment and enhanced safety of everyone who uses the National Airspace System," Graves stated during his address. March hearing where Daniels also tackled the matter. "Although this issue had been brought back into focus following a string of tragic accidents This is not a novel discussion.

What’s happening?

The scarcity of air traffic controllers has garnered significant attention following multiple accidents and close calls at various airports, including the deadly midair collision close to Reagan Washington National Airport in late January.

Duffy announced in February that he planned to "intensify" the controller staff resources, highlighting the shortages he observed merely weeks afterward. Senate confirmed him for the highest position in transportation.

However, it might take several months to bring new controllers up to speed and to educate the current workforce in applying new techniques and technologies across various intricate systems such as navigation, weather forecasting, surveillance, and communication.

“Air traffic controllers, with their unique skill and precision, are the backbone of the (National Air System) and require rigorous training, a mastery of complex systems, and the ability to perform under immense pressure,” Daniels told legislators earlier this year.

"These committed experts persistently operate understaffed, frequently working six days a week for ten hours each day over extended periods of years. They utilize obsolete machinery within dilapidated structures that, in numerous instances, have been standing for over sixty years and urgently require renovation or replacement," he mentioned back then.

Obsolete technology has further aggravated the pressure on the reduced staff size.

Delays and cancellations upended operations at Newark, a major hub near New York City, this week, after nearly 20 percent of the site’s controllers took leaves of absence following a potentially catastrophic blackout and communication breakdown with planes flying into the airport on April 28.

The FAA admitted in a statement on Monday that frequent equipment and telecommunication disruptions can cause significant stress for air traffic controllers, adding that airport staff have been taking time off to recuperate from the strain caused by numerous recent system failures.

What led to this situation?

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported this year Over three-quarters of the FAA’s 138 air traffic control systems were considered "unsustainable" or "potentially unsustainable" according to a review initiated due to technical problems that caused a nationwide halt of U.S. airspace in 2023.

The independent watchdog stated that "the FAA's advancements have been sluggish, spending several years to set up financial, scheduling, and performance benchmarks for initiatives chosen by GAO for examination." As of May 2024, the projected finish times for scheduled investments in critical systems identified by GAO were still six to ten years off. Furthermore, four of these crucial systems lacked corresponding investment funds altogether.

Daniels informed legislators that over the last twenty years, the FAA hasn’t sought after the financial support needed "to properly tackle its technological and structural infrastructural requirements."

The The FAA's $3 billion yearly funding request The NATCA president stated that this situation regarding facilities and equipment has compelled the agency to adopt a "repair-as-broken" approach, which focuses primarily on essential expenses leaving virtually no funding available for modernization initiatives.

“Failing to maintain and replace critical safety equipment that has exceeded its expected life introduces unnecessary risk into the system,” the union leader added. “These funding limitations also have prevented the FAA from designing and implementing new technologies that will improve safety.”

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