A fatal air accident outside Washington, DC, in January and a Serious telecommunications Inviving that New Jersey Newark Airport has concentrated the United States on a problem known for a long time: the country's and sub-employment control system shows cracks.
On May 8, one day before a serious loss of communications of 90 seconds delayed the air traffic in Newark, the Secretary of Transports Sean Duffy announcement A plan to modernize radical air traffic to combat “decades of negligence”. In the event of success, it could facilitate the delays of airlines, in particular those linked to weather conditions during the summer months.
Aexual security experts generally applaud the new effort, but the aggressive calendar has risks, they add. The congress must still approve funding.
Why we wrote this
LEAN staff to aging technology, American air traffic control systems are subject to stress. The Trump administration has offered fixes that may require around $ 12.5 billion over four years.
Is it sure to fly in the United States?
The country operates the largest and most complex air traffic control system in the world with a very high level of security. Between 2014 and 2023 (the latest federal data available), the planned American commercial carriers experienced four fatal incidents, which causes six deaths in total in the United States, but certain equipment used by air controllers is so old that manufacturers no longer sell parts. The officials of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) therefore bought parts on eBay or built their own using 3D printers, according to Secretary Duffy.
What does the Trump administration provide?
On Equipment sideHe would turn off the old systems with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies on more than 4,600 sites, replace 618 radars, build six new air traffic control centers, extend the number of airports with track safety systems and install new hardware and software in all air traffic installations.
On work workIt would rationalize the hiring process and offer financial incentives to those who follow the initial training, graduates of the Academy Air Traffic Controller and retirement controllers to keep them. Secretary Duffy says that the smoother hiring will help FAA reduce a current deficit by around 3,000 controllers.
Will it work?
Many security experts say that the Trump administration addresses the right problems. For example, he favors New York airports – animated hubs where delays can wave throughout the country. During the busiest hours, the pilots going to the airports John F. Kennedy or Laguardia would be necessary be on board software This increases the capacity of the airspace shared by two airports.
But the administration sparked contradictory priorities. The day before the outdoor collision of January between an American Airlines and a military helicopter, with 67 deaths, FAA employees received a buyout Userping them to take “higher productivity jobs in the private sector”. The Trump administration quickly said that the controllers were not eligible.
But the loss of experienced FAA managers will complicate the task of modernizing air traffic control while running it. “It is difficult to manage a system and change it at the same time,” explains John-Paul Clarke, professor and expert in aerial space and safety modeling at the University of Texas in Austin.
Another challenge is to ensure that FAA management modernizes procedures, not just technology, he adds. “My great concern is that we will scan or improve technology by doing the same things as we do now without understanding how to change the system to make it more effective.”
Some criticisms say that the emerging “Nextgen” systems for traffic controllers should rotate more quickly towards monitoring satellite flights. Secretary Duffy's plan understands this – but the system's ability to quickly integrate the change remains in question.
How long will modernization take?
If history is a guide, it will take more time than the four years that the administration has allocated. At least, people hired today will require two years training before becoming qualified controllers. And bureaucratic slowdowns, the interference of the congress and other factors have hampered past modernization plans.
How much will this modernization cost?
The administration did not provide estimates, but a chamber committee Calculate the cost $ 12.5 billion. External analysts say it will cost more. Hassan ShahidiPresident and chief executive officer of Flight Safety Foundation, a defense group for non -profit defenders, weighs the cost at around $ 30 billion.
What does this mean for travelers this summer?
Compulsory slowdowns at animated airports and controller shortages could worsen the delays related to the season. Travelers should “plan in advance, check with their airlines, [and] Look at the weather forecast in terms of their trip planning, “said Dr. Shahidi.
