U.S. Proposes Multi-Billion Air Traffic Overhaul After Newark Outage, Featuring Six Centers and 15 Towers

73 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated May 8, 2025, 08:32 PM

A week after a 90-second radar and radio blackout on 28 April that severed communication between controllers and arriving aircraft, Newark Liberty International Airport remains beset by flight delays and cancellations. Some controllers have taken trauma leave, aggravating a long-standing staffing shortage and extending the disruption into a ninth day. Federal officials say similar communication failures have occurred at least twice since August, and safety advocates cite the outage—as well as a deadly mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport in January—as evidence that the Federal Aviation Administration’s aging air-traffic control infrastructure is no longer reliable. The FAA has temporarily reduced scheduled flights at Newark, shifted controllers from other facilities and accelerated technology fixes, but lawmakers and industry executives warn that incremental steps will not resolve systemic weaknesses. The agency is also under pressure from employee unions that argue outdated equipment and understaffing jeopardize both workers and passengers. On 8 May, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, backed by President Donald Trump, outlined a multi-billion-dollar plan to modernize the national air-traffic control system. The proposal calls for constructing six regional control centers, building 15 new airport towers, replacing more than 600 radars and installing satellite-based tracking at roughly 4,600 locations. Chief executives of major U.S. airlines have endorsed the initiative, but it still requires congressional authorization and a detailed funding blueprint.

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#Newark Liberty International Airport #Reagan Washington National Airport #Federal Aviation Administration #FAA #Newark #Sean Duffy #Donald Trump

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Sources

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Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems Intl

@AUVSI

Today @FAA & @DOT released their modernized ATC plan. AUVSI supports this bold step to upgrade aviation systems & workforce. We urge Congress to act. https://t.co/OOlvXBd5Nz @SecDuffy @FAA_Chris

ABC 7 Amarillo

@ABC7Amarillo

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy says on Thursday in Washington, D.C., he will announce a plan to modernize the air traffic control systems used by the FAA. https://t.co/WkIrt6tX3L

The Boston Globe

@BostonGlobe

The Trump administration proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the US air traffic control system in the wake of recent deadly plane crashes and technical failures that have put a spotlight on the outdated network. https://t.co/NAbCYanpk2