Major US Airlines Back ATC Modernization Plan
The chief executives of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways have thrown their support behind the Trump administration’s ambitious proposal to modernize the nation’s aging air traffic control system. According to a Reuters report, all five airline leaders are slated to speak on May 8, 2025, alongside U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, underscoring industry-wide endorsement of an overhaul aimed at preventing outages like the weekend disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Unions representing pilots, air traffic controllers and flight attendants will also participate in the May 8 event, signaling broad labor and management cooperation. “I am announcing decisive action to address the pain passengers are feeling at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR),” Duffy posted on social media platform X. He revealed plans to convene a Delay Reduction Meeting, bringing together FAA officials and airline executives to collaborate on reducing delays, preserving competition and safeguarding travelers.
A Delta spokesperson told Reuters that CEO Ed Bastian “fully supports” Duffy’s plan, describing it as “a once in a lifetime opportunity to address these longstanding challenges.” Duffy echoed that sentiment in a White House briefing, criticizing past administrations for backing away from modernizing air traffic control because of its complexity. “That is not this administration,” he said. “We are going to bring in the best companies in America to help us with this project. This is the greatest project that the FAA has undertaken under its existence.”
While detailed rollout plans have yet to be released, Duffy indicated the effort will take three to four years and require substantial investment. Congress has already allocated $12.5 billion as a “down payment” on technology upgrades, but industry groups and unions are calling for at least $31 billion over the next three years. Funding would accelerate the replacement of copper wiring with fiber optics, transition from legacy radar to satellite-based tracking and automate traffic management to prevent communication failures.
The urgency for ATC reform was highlighted by the April 28 outage at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, which manages flights within a 50-mile radius of Newark Liberty. Controllers lost both radar and radio contact with inbound aircraft for at least 30 seconds, prompting the FAA to slow arrivals, cancel hundreds of flights and divert others. Several controllers took stress-related leave following the incident, exacerbating staff shortages that continue to hamper traffic flow at one of America’s busiest hubs.
United Airlines reacted by cutting 35 daily departures—a 10 percent capacity reduction—from Newark, with CEO Scott Kirby citing unresolved staffing constraints as leaving “no other choice” to maintain safe operations. Airlines emphasize that safety protocols and collision avoidance systems prevented any in-air collisions during the outages, but they warn that similar failures could become more frequent without comprehensive technology and staffing reforms.
Transportation experts point to chronic underinvestment in controller training, recruitment and equipment upgrades by Congress as the root cause of repeated ATC failures. With about 14,000 controllers currently on the job—down from pre-pandemic levels—labor leaders stress the need for expedited hiring tracks, retention bonuses and modern tools to reduce workload and burnout in high-stress centers.
As airline CEOs prepare to publicly endorse Duffy’s ATC modernization proposal, passengers and industry stakeholders alike will be watching closely to see whether Congress provides the necessary funding and policy support. If approved, the plan could reshape U.S. air traffic control over the next half decade, improving reliability, boosting capacity and ensuring that major hubs like Newark no longer face crippling technology outages.
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