Regulations and Government
FAA Deputy Admin Rocheleau Says ATC Overhaul Is On Track
KDCA tragedy accelerated push for infrastructure upgrades
Bolen and Rocheleau talk FAA modernization on Feb 18, 2026
© Screenshot of NBAA News Hour webinar

FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau, speaking February 18 in an NBAA News Hour webinar moderated by NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, laid out a detailed public accounting of where the U.S. air safety regulator stands in its effort to modernize the air traffic control system—a plan he described as fueled by a tragic catalyst, an unprecedented coalition, and a hard deadline of December 2028.

Rocheleau touched on the full arc of the FAA’s modernization push: how high profile accidents early last year, and a series of notam and ATC outages in the weeks that followed, created conditions that prompted the May 2025 formation of the Modern Skies Coalition and a $12.5 billion Congressional appropriation toward an estimated $30 billion overhaul, with December 2028 set as the target completion date.