United States senators have put through a budget bill that will see billions of dollars spent on upgrading the country’s air traffic control systems, pending approval by the lower chamber.
Aviation lobbyists Airlines for America welcomed the dedication of $12.5 billion for the fixes in a statement that expressed gratitude that the “Senate understands the urgent need to overhaul our nation’s air traffic control (ATC).” Calling the funding a “first step”, the group noted that Secretary Duffy is working “to implement President Trump’s vision of a brand new, state-of-the-art system.” The allocation was “a vital down payment on updating the system that guides 27,000 flights, 2.7 million passengers and 61,000 tons of cargo every day,” they said.
Watch Airline CEOs with me at @USDOT as I unveil my plan for a brand new air traffic control system for the American people – and we even hear directly from @POTUS! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Q1CFQG838K
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 2, 2025
Replacing “floppy disks and rotary phones”
The major refit was proposed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in May 2025 after repeated problems with radio and radar blackouts at Newark Liberty International Airport that saw schedules reduced. Controllers there have applied for trauma leave in the wake of the incidents.
At the same time, ten airline chiefs wrote a letter in favour of undertaking a transformation, warning that: “Aviation remains the safest mode of transportation in the US. But for it to remain so, serious upgrades need to happen now.”
Insisting that flying is safe, Duffy nonetheless pointed out in a 26 June statement that “Elvis and the Rolling Stones were still pumping out Billboard hits when our current air traffic control network was integrated. Floppy disks, copper wires, and rotary phones – this is the kind of outdated equipment our system relies on to manage aviation. It’s unacceptable, and it’s led to years of glitches, delays, and cancellations in our air space.” These antiquated technologies would be replaced, Duffy promised by “state-of-the-art radar, fiber optic lines, and new radios.”
The Big Beautiful Bill is our one pathway right now to fix our air traffic control system. We need this $12.5 billion to get started NOW. pic.twitter.com/fLL4bBP8fb
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) June 19, 2025
Narrow vote
Other works in the bill, according to budget lines published by the American Association of Airline Executives, should include: the construction of a new ARTCC facility; runway safety system upgrades, surface detection technology deployment, and remote towers. Compromises are being made to with $100m put towards ATRCC “realignment and consolidation, with requirement to consolidate no less than 10 facilities.”
The funding was granted narrowly in a 50-50 vote that was resolved only by Vice President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote. It is a reconciliation, outside the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) usual five-year budget plan as part of President Donald Trump’s multi-trillion-dollar, so-called “mega-bill” or “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
PASS THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 27, 2025
"After many years of decline in our air traffic control system, the One Big Beautiful Bill will modernize this decrepit relic and give America the best, most advanced air traffic control system on Earth—THE BEST BY FAR." –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/8sa7RjhiTB
Senators imposed terms closing and consolidating some air traffic control facilities, which could help boost efficiency as the system is modernized, but may also lead to political infighting as members of Congress try to preserve jobs in their districts as facilities are identified for closure.
