Duffy: ‘Envy of the World’ ATC System Could Be Installed Within 3 Years

Transportation secretary is expected to announce plans to modernize what he describes as an ‘aging, understaffed’ system this week.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 03:52 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at a White House press briefing. [Courtesy: Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced an ambitious plan to rapidly modernize the country's outdated and understaffed air traffic control system within three years, seeking tens of billions in congressional funding.
The comprehensive modernization efforts include upgrading radar, replacing old wiring with fiber and satellite technology, deploying AI for crash prevention, and significantly increasing air traffic controller hiring.
These initiatives come amid heightened scrutiny due to recent safety incidents and persistent staffing shortages, with the FAA already implementing some safety measures and testing new communication technologies, including Starlink.

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday predicted the government could install a “state-of-the-art, brand-new, best technology, envy-of-the-world air traffic control system” in the next three years.

During a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump and other high-level White House staff, Duffy questioned why upgrades to the system—which stakeholders widely agree uses outdated technology—had not been made sooner.