Trump Administration to Overhaul U.S. Air Traffic Control System After Newark Issues and Fatal Crashes
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) are addressing recent issues at Newark Liberty International Airport, including a ground stop and communications blackouts, as part of a broader initiative to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system. President Trump has announced plans to replace technology at over 4,600 air traffic control sites and build six new coordination centers nationwide, aiming to improve safety and reduce delays.
The initiative follows multiple incidents at Newark, including a 90-second equipment failure that led to over 4,000 delays and more than 1,000 cancellations. Over 1,700 flights have been delayed or cancelled due to these issues. The FAA has scheduled a meeting with major airlines on May 14 to discuss temporary flight cutbacks at Newark, in response to ongoing problems such as staffing shortages and telecom issues.
Recent aviation tragedies, including a helicopter crash in New York that killed six people and a plane crash in Boca Raton that resulted in three fatalities, have intensified discussions on air traffic control safety and modernization. The Trump administration's plan includes replacing old radars, installing new high-speed network connections, and purchasing new radios, with an estimated cost of over $12.5 billion. The plan is expected to take 3-4 years to build. Additionally, a collision between an Army helicopter and an American Eagle flight at Reagan National Airport killed 67 people, further highlighting the urgency of these upgrades.
Friday marked 100 days since 67 people lost their lives when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, as the plane’s pilots were preparing to land at Reagan National Airport (DCA) just outside D.C.
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Air traffic controllers have been under strain for years, but a 90-second equipment failure last week exposed how decades of staffing shortages, underinvestment and patchwork solutions for those who guide planes through some of the world’s most congested airspace are taking their
