A budget reconciliation proposal put forward by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would set aside $15 billion for the FAA to modernize air traffic control (ATC) systems.
The money would help replace outdated ATC technology, update aspects of the system that need improvement, and facilitate the hiring of new controllers, the committee said in a statement on Tuesday. The modernization effort is especially critical, the statement said, in light of “aviation tragedies in recent months,” likely a reference to a January midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
