Republican lawmakers have proposed a plan to provide the Federal Aviation Administration with $15 billion to fund air traffic control (ATC) modernisation, a move coming several weeks after US transportation chief Sean Duffy committed to such an effort.
The move has already garnered support from a diverse group of aviation players, including aerospace manufacturers, lobby groups and unions, which view the effort as a means to begin addressing longstanding problems.
Republicans on the US House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure on 29 April revealed a proposed bill that includes the ATC modernisation spending.
“President Trump and Secretary Duffy are committed to the long-delayed modernisation of our antiquated air traffic control system to strengthen American aviation safety, and this proposal begins the work of meeting that goal,” says committee chair Sam Graves.
The proposal would make the $15 billion available through 30 September 2029 and would largely fund acquisition and implementation of new ATC facilities and updated technologies.
It calls for $2.6 billion to replace ATC towers and terminal radar approach facilities, $2 billion to replace other ACT centres, $3 billion to upgrade radar systems, and $4.75 billion for new telecommunications infrastructure, the committee says.
The plan would additionally set aside $1 billion to recruit and train controllers, $500 million to fund “runway safety projects”, $550 million to sustain and replace other ATC infrastructure, $260 million to improve air safety in Alaska and $300 million to fund other modernisation programmes, including those involving performance-based navigation and data communications.
The House Transportation committee intends on 30 April to vote on the bill, which would need approval from the US Senate before landing on President Donald Trumps’ desk for a signature.
In a 29 April letter, the Modern Skies Coalition, a group of dozens of aviation organisations, says it “strongly endorses the Air Traffic Control modernisation proposal from the House Committee”.
“We urge the House to pass these provisions and will continue our engagement with the Senate as they look to work on this effort as well,” the letter says.
Dozens of organisations signed the letter, including manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, and lobby groups Aerospace Industries Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America and National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Numerous labour groups, including major pilot and flight attendant associations, also signed.
The House proposal comes after DOT secretary Duffy said on 11 March that he was preparing to give Congress a plan to spend billions of dollars to modernise ATC.
That news followed the deadly 29 January in-flight collision of a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 regional jet that killed 67 people.
