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Feds to Overhaul Air Traffic Control 05/08 06:26
(AP) -- A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter
and a commercial airliner, several additional crashes and technical problems
that resulted in mass cancellations at New Jersey's biggest airport have
prompted officials to pledge a fix for the nation's outdated air traffic
control system and vow to hire more controllers.
Doing so, they say, would help ensure safety and prevent the kind of
problems that have plagued the Newark, New Jersey, airport since its radar
system briefly failed last week.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to unveil a multi-billion-dollar
plan to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system Thursday, while the
Federal Aviation Administration works to quickly solve technology and staffing
problems in Newark and avoid similar crisis elsewhere.
Amid turmoil, one thing seems clear: An aging system struggles to handle the
nation's more than 45,000 daily flights.
It's uncertain whether Duffy's plan that President Donald Trump supports
will get the necessary congressional funding to be more effective than previous
reform efforts during the last three decades. But Duffy says it's necessary.
Already more than $14 billion has been invested in upgrades since 2003 but none
have dramatically changed how the system works.
"We are on it. We are going to fix it. We are going to build a brand new
system for all of you and your families and the American people," Duffy said.
But details are scant. It's unclear whether the plan will involve
privatizing the air traffic control system as Trump backed in his first term.
Duffy has not highlighted that possibility. Thursday's announcement is expected
to attract dozens of unions, which would likely oppose privatization, along
with trade groups, industry representatives and family members of victims of
the January crash.
History of problems
For years, the system has operated well enough to be largely neglected by
every administration, said University of Illinois professor Sheldon Jacobson,
who has studied risks in aviation. "But well enough isn't good enough when it
comes to air travel because people's lives are at risk."
Jacobson is skeptical Duffy's proposal will succeed. But there could be
renewed support following the collision between an American Airlines jet and an
Army helicopter over Washington D.C. in January, and a plane that flipped and
caught fire in Toronto.
The weaknesses of the nation's air traffic control system have for years
been highlighted in reports and hearings. Most recently, a Government
Accountability Office review released in March declared that 51 of the FAA's
138 systems were considered unsustainable and another 54 were potentially
unsustainable. A 2023 outage in FAA's Notice to Airmen system forced the
grounding of every flight nationwide for more than two hours.
"We're dealing with an outmoded system and we have an outdated
infrastructure," said former Continental Airlines CEO Frank Lorenzo, who helped
establish a major hub in Newark that United Airlines still maintains years
after acquiring Continental. "We haven't really given it the attention that it
requires."
Outdated technology
The president of National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Congress
that the majority of the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure at more than
4,600 sites relies at least in part on aging copper wires, instead of more
reliable fiber optic lines that can handle more data. Unexpected outages
related to those lines routinely cause ground stops at airports and appear to
have led to the problems in Newark.
The radar system air traffic controllers in Philadelphia use to direct
planes in and out of the Newark airport went offline for at least 30 seconds on
April 28. That facility relies on radar data sent over lines from New York that
may have failed, some of which are old copper phone lines. The FAA relies on
those lines because Newark controllers were moved from New York to Philadelphia
last summer to address staffing issues.
The FAA said Wednesday it plans to replace any old copper wires with fiber
optics and add three new data lines between New York and Philadelphia. The
agency is also working to get additional controllers trained and certified.
It wasn't immediately clear how long either step will take, but Duffy has
said he hopes the situation in Newark will improve by summer, which is when an
ongoing runway construction project is scheduled for completion. Several
controllers remain on extended trauma leave after the radar outage, which
worsened staff shortages in Philadelphia.
In response, the FAA has slowed traffic in and out of Newark to ensure
flights can be handled safely, leading to cancellations. Duffy also said FAA
will meet with all airlines to determine how many flights the airport can
handle. On Wednesday, Newark led the nation with 42 canceled departures and 46
canceled arrivals, according to FlightAware.com. That's even after United cut
35 daily flights at the airport starting last weekend.
Some upgrades have been completed
The FAA has made incremental improvements as part of its Nextgen program
that was established in 2003. Advancements include development of the ADS-B
system that provides more precise aircraft locations to controllers and other
planes. That system has been a focal point of the investigation of the January
crash because the Black Hawk helicopter was not using it to broadcast its
location at the time of the collision.
Duffy has also tried to supercharge air traffic controller hiring by
shortening the time it takes to get into the academy and improving student
success rates. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers to
discourage early retirement.
A major challenge to upgrading the aviation infrastructure is that the FAA
must keep the current system operating while developing a new system -- and
then find a way to seamlessly switch over. That's partly why the agency has
pursued more gradual improvements in the past.
"The problem has existed for decades. It's not because of neglect, but
because it's a hard problem to solve," said Jeff Guzetti, who is a former
accident investigator who also worked in the Transportation Department's
Inspector General's office for several years that was focused on aviation. "And
it requires money and good management. And the FAA has been has had shortages
of both money and in some cases good management for years."
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