FAA seeks $10B more
- U.S. officials say the aging air-traffic control system needs major upgrades and more funding. - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is seeking an additional $10 billion on top of $12.5 billion Congress already awarded. - Officials stress upgrades won't replace human controllers while lawmakers debate billions more for modernization ( ).
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is asking Congress for another $10 billion to keep rebuilding the nation’s air traffic control system. (usnews.com) Duffy said on April 21 that the new money would fund the next phase of the overhaul, on top of the $12.5 billion Congress approved in July 2025. He said much of the added spending would go to software meant to cut delays and manage traffic more efficiently. (rollcall.com) Air traffic control is the system that routes planes through the sky and onto runways, and many of its tools still run on older hardware. Federal officials say the current network still relies in places on paper flight strips, copper wiring and even floppy disks. (cbsnews.com) The administration says the first $12.5 billion is paying for physical upgrades: replacing telecommunications gear, radios and radars, and improving facilities that controllers use every day. Duffy said the broader project touches more than 4,600 Federal Aviation Administration sites and will take more than 10 million labor hours. (transportation.gov) The push comes after years of delays, outages and staffing strain across the aviation system. NPR reported that officials framed the overhaul as a response to an air traffic network that has not kept pace with modern aviation and has contributed to disruptions for travelers. (npr.org) Staffing is part of the argument for more money, but Duffy said the new software would not replace controllers. He told CBS News the goal is to give human controllers earlier warnings about congestion and conflicts so they can spread traffic out before delays cascade. (cbsnews.com) The Federal Aviation Administration is still short of certified controllers even as hiring has accelerated. Reuters reported on April 6 that the agency was about 3,500 fully certified controllers below target staffing levels, with 13,164 employed at the end of September 2025. (usnews.com) The Transportation Department says it has hired nearly 2,400 controllers since March 2025 and now has its highest staffing level in six years, while more than 4,000 trainees remain in the pipeline. Congress now has to decide whether the first $12.5 billion was a down payment or the limit of what it will spend on a system officials say still needs years of work. (transportation.gov)
