The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a spending plan that would channel $22 billion to the FAA to help train more air traffic controllers and start a years-long overhaul of the agency’s aging infrastructure.
The funding includes $13.8 billion for operations, $4 billion for facilities and equipment, $4 billion for grants-in-aid to U.S. airports, and $290 million for research and development. A portion of the operations money would be used to train about 2,500 controllers, roughly the number needed to return the national ATC system to full staffing.
The Trump administration is aiming to end the controller shortage, replace most ATC equipment, and build new facilities in about three years. The plan, laid out by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in May, calls for six new ATC centers and 15 towers with colocated TRACONs.
Duffy did not attach a price tag to the plan when it was first made public, but earlier this month he told Congress it would likely cost $31.5 billion in total.
The committee’s spending package is worth over $100 billion and includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and independent agencies.
The bill passed the committee by a vote of 27-1. It will now move to the full Senate for further consideration.
