When H.R.2115, the Vision 100 Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, was signed into law in December 2003, it endorsed the concept of a Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) to be developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A month later, the DOT secretary announced plans for a new, multi-year, multi-agency effort to develop an air transportation system for the year 2025 and beyond that would increase efficiency in the National Airspace System (NAS). NextGen would not be just one technology or product, the bill stated, instead it was conceived to be a portfolio of innovative new technologies and airspace procedures to increase NAS system efficiency and capacity.
FAA’s Data Comm Tower Service Now Available at 62 U.S. Airports
Key Takeaways:
- The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), mandated by the Vision 100 Act in 2003, is a multi-agency FAA effort to modernize the National Airspace System with innovative technologies and procedures to increase efficiency and capacity.
- Data Comm Tower Service, a key NextGen technology, has been successfully implemented at 62 U.S. airports, replacing traditional voice communication between air traffic controllers and pilots with digital messaging.
- This digital communication system reduces "talk back, read back" errors and saves significant time, leading to an estimated $10 billion in savings for operators and $1 billion for the FAA over the program's lifecycle, with over 6,000 aircraft currently equipped.
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