Duffy Teases Major ATC Overhaul Announcement

Full-fledged plan could be rolled out as early as next week.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, May 02, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy [Courtesy: Department of Transportation]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. is preparing to announce plans for a complete overhaul of its "very obsolete" air traffic control infrastructure system, with an official reveal expected next week.
President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are spearheading the modernization, linking the aging system to incidents like the recent deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport.
Alongside infrastructure plans, the FAA and NATCA are addressing air traffic controller staffing shortages by offering cash bonuses for working in hard-to-staff or high-cost regions.

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An announcement to “build out a brand-new air traffic control infrastructure system” is coming soon, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a press briefing on Thursday.

President Donald Trump and Duffy have been roadshowing a plan to completely overhaul the United States’ aging air traffic control system, which Trump called “very obsolete.” He continued to say that January’s deadly midair collision at Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) near Washington, D.C., “wouldn’t have happened if we had the right equipment.”