Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

With $12.5 billion in additional funds approved for air traffic control modernization and controller staffing, lawmakers and stakeholders attending an Air Traffic Control Modernization Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday agreed that this is just a down payment of what is necessary. But NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, speaking during the summit, noted that “this is our opportunity” to accomplish what has faltered in the past, given the unique alignment of government, stakeholders, and the general public.
Stakeholders attending the day-long event hosted by the American Association of Airport Executives cited a need closer to $30 billion to achieve the required upgrades. Recognizing this, U.S. transportation, housing, and urban development subcommittee chairman Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) said lawmakers are planning upwards of a $6 billion additional bump to the $12.5 billion through the transportation, housing, and urban development (THUD) bill that the full Appropriations Committee will consider on Thursday.
While $12.5 billion is more money than the FAA has had at once dedicated to modernization, Womack said, “The goal is to build a brand-new air traffic control system—not piecemealing, which is what we have been living through…It’s not enough money to accomplish the goal.”
He noted that at one point, the FAA was reporting 600 intermittent outages a week across the system, and recent notam outages were troublesome. “The truth is, our system has performed extremely well while being neglected for years. But at some point, the consequences of that neglect rear their ugly head.”
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reiterated his calls for stakeholders to coalesce on moving forward, stating that this renewed effort cannot be “NextGen 2.0”—referring to the long-promised NextGen program that he said “was intended to revolutionize air traffic control systems. Instead, it was severely over budget and behind schedule and failed to deliver the promised results.”
He warned that modernization can’t just happen by appropriation and that he is “committed to having buy-in” for the next crucial steps. He called for transparency and a focused administration, but also collaboration with industry. “This initiative must be in lockstep with all of industry who recognize the need for modernization,” he said. “The truth is undeniable. Our infrastructure can no longer handle the scale and complexity of modern aviation.”
Bolen expressed optimism that the aviation community is “at a really special point” where money has been furnished, the administration is motivated to move forward, the aviation community is in agreement, and the general public is supportive of such a massive undertaking. He added that the tragic collision on January 29 of PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk “sealed our resolve.”
Airlines for America president and CEO Nicholas Calio agreed, saying the community needs to maintain the urgency and money, “because this time it is going to be done. It’s going to be done correctly.”
“We’ve now got such an alignment across so many different organizations within the aviation ecosystem, from the…aircraft controller side to the general aviation side, and the airline side. I think for the first time ever, come together in a way that we can shake hands and commit to going and moving forward,” added General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Jim Viola. “I think that some of the biggest challenges in the past was the lack of alignment. And to me, it feels good that we’re in a place where we’re poised to step forward and pretty aggressively.”
However, attendees agreed with Cruz that to move forward, more than just money is necessary. Bolen stressed the importance of procurement reforms and noted that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy worries that permitting—obtaining necessary approvals to accomplish tasks such as switching from copper wires to fiber optic—may be among the biggest pinch points.
Viola added that technologies such as those that guard against midair collisions have been around for years, but restrictions have slowed their introduction into the system. “Those are some of the walls we’d like to knock down on the manufacturer side.”
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president and CEO Darren Pleasance warned that controller staffing is another critical piece. He pointed to the tower in Frederick, Maryland, where AOPA is based. Typically, just one controller is on staff, Pleasance noted. “If you get even just a modest amount of traffic, that becomes a saturated situation. You just hear it,” he said, and with advanced air mobility, that workload will only increase.

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

Aviation Stakeholders Eye Funding Needs for ATC Overhaul

Lawmakers and aviation leaders aligned on ATC modernization

Stakeholders agree that more money is necessary for ATC modernization, but believe that the unique consensus sets the stage for success.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Duffy says FAA needs $31.5 billion to completely upgrade ATC

DOT Chief Continues Push for More ATC Funding

Charles Alcock

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Aviation safety agency ordered cancellation of at least 40% of flights

French Controllers Strike Disrupts Traffic at Multiple Airports

FAA has issued a request for information on potential modernization integrator

DOT Meets with Stakeholders To Map Out Modernization

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

The project wrapped two weeks early after 24/7 effort

Conclusion of KEWR Runway Rehab Could Ease Traffic Woes

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Aircraft operators will be charged a new fee to support the work

Redesign of UK Airspace Will Start with London Airports

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Bolen said system needs addition $18.5 billion over three years

ATC Modernization Becomes Urgent Focus of FAA Reauthorization

Amy Wilder

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

Predictive engine designed to support tower situational awareness

NoamAI Launches Artificial Intelligence ATC Assistant

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

More In ATC