Modernize Air Traffic Control

Much of the U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system still relies on technology from decades long past. While air traffic continues to grow, the tools used to manage air traffic often lag behind—and when they break down, they create more delays, more risk, and more strain on the people who keep the skies safe.

ALPA has called attention to these problems for years, from the use of floppy disks at some facilities to the lack of real-time tracking technology that could prevent runway and airspace incidents.

Key issues include:

• Outdated equipment: Many systems rely on decades-old technologies, including legacy radar systems and analog communication networks. Some facilities still use floppy disks.
• Manual processes: Some towers without surface surveillance capabilities rely on paper flight progress strips to track aircraft movements, increasing workload and the chance for error.
• Frequent outages: Old systems are more prone to failure, and replacement parts are often hard to find.
• Inconsistent infrastructure: Some technologies vary widely from one facility to another, creating gaps in coverage and coordination.
• Limited integration capabilities: The system wasn’t designed to handle modern challenges like commercial space launches, drones, and the rapid increase in congested shared airspace.
• Staffing strain: Outdated tools make the job harder for overworked air traffic controllers and system maintenance personnel, who are already short-staffed and stretched thin.

Air travel has rebounded and grown in recent years, leading to more flights and tighter schedules in already-busy airspace. The result is more complexity for pilots and air traffic controllers, especially in areas where outdated infrastructure and limited staffing can’t meet the demand.

It’s not just that there are more flights—airspace itself is more crowded. In certain regions, commercial, military, and helicopter operations overlap in complex and outdated flight paths. The FAA has identified multiple “hotspot” airports where these challenges are especially urgent. Meanwhile, the rise of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and increased commercial space launch and recovery activities are carving out even more airspace and placing additional strain on an already overloaded system. Without modernization, these shared skies will only become more difficult—and dangerous—to manage.

The Modern Skies Coalition is a first-of-its-kind alliance of more than 50 aviation organizations—including ALPA—calling for urgent action to modernize the nation’s ATC system. This unprecedented partnership launched a public campaign to spotlight the need for major federal investment in FAA staffing, infrastructure, and technology.

The coalition strongly supports legislative proposals that fund ATC modernization and hold the FAA accountable for performance. Through grassroots advocacy, public education, and unified messaging, Modern Skies is pushing Congress to seize this opportunity and ensure the United States remains the gold standard for aviation safety.

Visit ModernSkies.com

Congress must fund long-overdue upgrades to facilities, equipment, and staffing. That includes replacing failing infrastructure, expanding controller training pipelines, and deploying modern communication, navigation, and surveillance technologies.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has proposed a once-in-a-generation plan to replace the outdated systems that power U.S. air traffic control. The goal is to improve safety, reduce delays, and future-proof our skies by building an entirely new system—something that hasn’t been done since the 1960s.

ALPA strongly endorses this plan. It addresses urgent challenges that airline pilots experience every day.

The plan includes:

• Modern communication networks using fiber, wireless, and satellite technology to replace aging radios and switches at thousands of sites.
• New surveillance and radar systems, including the replacement of aging radars to better track aircraft in real time.
• Improved automation and software, creating a unified, efficient platform across all air traffic control towers, centers, and TRACONs.
• Upgraded facilities, including new ATC centers and replacements for outdated towers.
• Runway safety enhancements, expanding the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) to hundreds of airports to help prevent ground collisions.
• Targeted solutions for remote regions, like new weather stations in Alaska.

Congress has approved an initial $12.5 billion down payment, but the full cost is projected at $31.5 billion. This plan has widespread bipartisan and industry support.

Pilots and air traffic controllers share a deep commitment to safety. ALPA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) are united in calling for modernization. We work together through joint advocacy efforts, including the Modern Skies Coalition, to push for urgently needed upgrades to infrastructure, staffing, and technology.

In a recent Air Line Pilot Podcast, ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi (Delta Air Lines) sat down with NATCA President Nick Daniels to discuss these shared challenges. The episode highlights how both unions advocate for modernization and support the frontline professionals who operate in the U.S. airspace system every day.

Listen to the podcast