Trump official seeks $50 billion for air traffic control after outage

"What's more important than having an air traffic control system that actually works?"Today’s nationwide ground stop happened because our air traffic control system is operating on DECADES-OLD, analog equipment that simply cannot compete with the demands of the 21st century.⁰@FAANews is modernizing this aging infrastructure thanks to a $12.5 billion down… pic.twitter.com/nXUPHkdNdVThe issue impacted the FAA's en route centres that handle traffic between airports.

But the Republican-led Senate Commerce Committee said the incident highlights the need to prioritise modernising those centres over other projects and noted Congress approved $1.9 billion to replace outdated en route centres.The world's most complex airspace has experienced a series of events in recent years that have disrupted flights and risked safety.

In January 2025, a midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people.Congress already approved $12.5 billion over five years in July 2025 to upgrade air traffic control and increase the hiring of controllers following complaints about airport congestion, flight delays and technology problems.Read: Britain says its bases are safe after US refuelling planes evacuatedThe request from White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and….

Last week, it said it would replace by the end of 2028 floppy disks used for weather and other critical information at more than 400 air traffic control facilities.Vought and Duffy in their letter said the FAA has replaced 68% of legacy copper telecommunications network with high-speed fiber infrastructure.The administration has called for the Republican-led Congress to approve funding in the final weeks of the year.

Trump official seeks $50 billion for air traffic control after outage Reuters | Updated 9 minutes ago | Transportation secretary Sean Duffy, White House ask for $30.1b to upgrade aging airports, air traffic control system.

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