Watchdog: FAA ATC Systems 'Urgently' Need Modernization | Aviation International News

Watchdog: FAA ATC Systems 'Urgently' Need Modernization

Three-quarters of FAA's ATC systems are either unsustainable or potentially unsustainable

NATCA radar — Of the FAA's 138 ATC systems, 51 are unsustainable and another 54 are potentially unsustainable. © Natca

By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine

September 26, 2024

Finding that most of the FAA’s air traffic control (ATC) systems are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable, a government watchdog stressed the need for urgency in modernizing aging systems. In a new report to the U.S. Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that of the FAA’s 138 ATC systems, 51 were unsustainable and another 54 were potentially unsustainable.

That was the finding of an assessment the FAA conducted after it was forced to shut down the airspace last year due to an aging ATC system outage. The GAO undertook the study at the request of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders, who were concerned about the potential for growing system failures as air traffic continued to swell.

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