The Need for Air Traffic Modernization

ALPA, NATCA, and FAA Speak with One Voice

With more than 700,000 aviation enthusiasts, industry leaders, policy makers, and members of the aviation media gathered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture 2026, the event once again provided one of the most influential forums for discussing the future of aviation. For ALPA, the week also offered an opportunity to reinforce its message that preserving the world’s safest aviation system requires continued investment in the people, technology, and infrastructure that support it.

Throughout the week, Capt. Jason Ambrosi, the Association’s president, carried that message across multiple venues, including a press conference, public forums, interviews, and member Q&A sessions—reinforcing the message that air traffic control modernization and aviation safety are ALPA’s highest priorities.

That message was clear during a joint press conference featuring Ambrosi, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels, and FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Franklin McIntosh. Appearing together before aviation journalists, the three leaders presented a unified message that modernizing the national airspace system is essential to safely accommodate continued growth as managing the demands on airspace becomes increasingly complex.

“The Department of Transportation and FAA leadership have been clear that finishing this job, replacing hundreds of aging air traffic control facilities, deploying modern surveillance automation for controllers, and building the traffic management tools our system needs will take an additional $20 billion,” Ambrosi said during the news conference. “Partial funding isn’t a shortcut. It leaves controllers and our crews on the ground working with one foot in the old system and one in the new, and that’s a dangerous place to leave the people we depend on most.”

Daniels underscored the need to address controller staffing issues, noting, “The top five highest [numbers] of aircraft run in a single day have been in 2026, when we’re doing it with 75 percent of an essential workforce. We’re doing it on six-day work weeks. We’re doing it on 10 hours a day.”

“Together, we’re laying the groundwork for a future-ready airspace system that meets the growing demand for the aviation industry,” McIntosh observed. “Crystal-clear communication during a busy session saves controllers and pilots much-needed time to make critical decisions. Ultimately, a better-equipped controller, a better-equipped technician, provides the very best service for all the pilot community.”

A Shared Mission: Aviation Safety

While each organization brought a different perspective to the conversation, all three emphasized that aviation safety remains their shared mission. Their appearance highlighted the coalition that has emerged behind modernization efforts, bringing together labor organizations, industry groups, manufacturers, and government representatives to advocate for sustained investment in the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure.

“This is something that’s been necessary for two decades,” said Ambrosi, who reinforced the message during an interview with EAA Radio. Referring to funding for aviation modernization made available through legislation signed into law in 2025, he expressed the need to continue support for that effort. “The $12.5 billion is a great down payment. That’s what it is, a down payment.”

Ambrosi noted that, although the aviation system remains extraordinarily safe, safety is achieved through the professionalism of pilots and controllers working within an increasingly strained system. Continued investment, he explained, is necessary to provide controllers with modern communications, automation, and decision-support tools while preparing the national airspace system for future demand.

A recurring theme throughout AirVenture was the close partnership between ALPA and NATCA. During a well-attended panel discussion and a one-on-one public conversation, Ambrosi and Daniels highlighted the shared responsibility pilots and controllers have for protecting the traveling public.

“Our goal has been ‘Schedule with Safety’ for 95 years,” Ambrosi stated. “We feel like we’re the conscience of the aviation industry.”

Daniels described how voluntary safety reporting and collaboration between labor organizations have transformed aviation safety over the past two decades. Looking ahead, he said, the next challenge is ensuring that controllers have equipment that allows them to spend less time working around technological limitations and more time making operational decisions.

“We’re trying to buy moments to make decisions,” said Daniels. “Instead of us working around the equipment, the equipment is finally beginning to work for us.”

“We hear controllers’ voices every day, but we may not always fully appreciate the staffing shortages and demanding schedules they’re experiencing,” remarked Ambrosi, emphasizing that modernization is ultimately about supporting the people who keep the national airspace system safely operating. “We can’t maintain our position as the safest aviation system in the world unless we invest in the future. These folks deserve our support.”

Daniels also urged those considering aviation careers to look past the current challenges and recognize the opportunity to help shape the future of the industry. “Our job is to leave it better than we found it,” he said, describing both air traffic controllers and airline pilots as stewards of an aviation system that continues to evolve through new technologies, new entrants, and the new generations of aviation professionals.

Throughout the week, Ambrosi also emphasized the importance of legislation aimed at strengthening situational awareness on the flight deck following the January 2025 midair collision near Washington National Airport. ALPA continues to support combining provisions of the Senate’s Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act and the House’s Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act into comprehensive legislation that would implement key NTSB recommendations.

Among the Association’s priorities is requiring transport-category aircraft to be equipped with integrated Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In capability, providing flight crews with earlier awareness of nearby traffic. Ambrosi explained that the technology would complement existing traffic collision avoidance system protections by giving pilots additional time and information to recognize and avoid developing conflicts before they become last-second resolution advisories.

Whether addressing reporters, speaking alongside NATCA and FAA leaders, answering members’ questions, or participating in public forums, Ambrosi repeatedly returned to the message that America’s aviation system remains the safest in the world because of the dedication of its people, and preserving that record will require sustained commitment to modernization, collaboration, and safety for decades to come.

“The system is safe today because of the professionalism of pilots and controllers,” said Ambrosi. “Our responsibility now is to give them the tools, technology, and support they need to keep it that way for the next generation.”