To keep the skies safe, the FAA needs a makeover

Thanks to the Department of Transportation’s Department of Sean Duffy, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is finally getting a transformation worthy of it with an unprecedented sense of urgency.

Duffy has pledged to “a massive upgrade” to our country’s air traffic control system within the next 18 months. These upgrades address the shortage of air traffic controllers, modernize aging technology, and prioritize upgrades that most support safety, but have long been behind.

The “close phone call” and the aviation incident have attracted more attention in the news after the tragedy at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC earlier this year, but what we see today is the accumulation effects of the same old and old processes as decades of funding shortages. Now is the time to raise caution to keep the US at gold standard when it comes to aviation safety.

I am the author of the FAA Safety Review Team (SRT) report, in which I rang the bells as loud as I could to pay attention to the urgent need to deal with the staffing, technology and fundraising of the system.

Shawn Duffy: America’s air traffic system requires emergency upgrades

As the industry has pointed out over the past decade, delays in FAA modernization are not without risk. Tracking flights using paper strips and floppy disks was unacceptable 10 years ago. Today is a terrible thing.

As the former DOT engineer explained, the current system is “a patchwork of archaic software languages ​​hosted on a variety of ancient platforms that are not supported by current operating systems or computer hardware.” They don’t even teach school people how to repair what the FAA operates today.

These modernization challenges have worsened, and the country’s lack of air traffic control continues to deteriorate. According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, approximately half of air traffic controllers work 10 hours a day, six days a week. Still, the Tower of Air Traffic Control is understaffed and there has been no progress made to change it.

What needs to happen next to grab the moment and make it safer now

In fact, a Department of Transport inspector reported that “the lack of plans to address these staffing challenges indicates that the audit work limits the capacity of the company. [National Airspace System]”The good news is that Secretary Duffy has already announced changes to streamline employment and increased controller pay.

It’s the first step on a long road, but his energetic focus is a breath of fresh air. As Duffy said, “It takes eight, ten, fifteen years for the government to upgrade its systems. That’s the enemy of progress.”

The current situation, with an outdated system and a fully staffed air traffic control facility, takes decades, is no longer possible to fly. That must be a priority for the Trump administration.

So, what can we do? As a first step, let’s call this what it is: an emergency.

Travel headaches show the need for the federal government to concentrate on airline technology employment as revealed by a true major delayed culprit

Like any emergency, it deserves robust emergency funds for modernising the system and employment and training of the workforce. But it’s just a stop measure.

Over the long term, Congress must provide stable funding to the FAA budget so that these priorities can be addressed in a timely and uninterrupted manner. All the threats of government shutdowns, even the threats that don’t eventually arise, cost the FAA tens of millions of dollars.

On October 7th, 2024, we entered the entrance to the FAA headquarters in Washington, DC. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

Second, it is clear that air traffic controllers need a new employment stream and training program. Also, hiring initiatives such as direct training on capabilities is an important start, but FAAs need to address “higher than expected” attrition issues for retirement and mental victims of the job duties by air traffic controllers.

Here’s how Control Tower DEI threatens airline safety

The SRT work found that the current employment and training process could not keep up with retirement and attrition, providing roughly the same workforce as today in 2032.

After the recent incident, people who regularly travel for work or see their families have wondered if it’s really safe to fly safely. Air travel is the safest thing to travel and is much safer than driving a car, but Americans are looking for the peace of mind that it will stay that way.

President Shawn Duffy and President Donald Trump shook hands at a press conference held at the White House Briefing Room on January 30th. Duffy said Trump will get his “first sneak peak” of his new air traffic control system. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Let’s be clear: Flying is safe. However, aviation often sacrifices efficiency to maintain safety.

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Air traffic controllers slow air traffic to keep the system safe. So, you may be terribly late, but we will never compromise on your safety.

Thankfully, Secretary Duffy recognizes the urgency of the issue and the current costly inefficiency. Now is the time for the administration to guide these words into action, gaining the strong support of Congress and creating an air traffic control system that we are proud of.

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