Our Once and Future ATC System | Aviation International News

Our Once and Future ATC System

Government is pushing ahead but needs $20 billion

Air Traffic Controllers — The FAA is pinning its hopes on an ambitious—and costly—modernization effort to overhaul air traffic control. © AdboeStock

By David Hughes

February 2, 2026

The DOT and FAA forged ahead with plans to finish the $12.5 billion “down payment” part of a "brand-new ATC system by 2029, even as a 43-day government shutdown had harried the current system and forced air traffic controllers to work without pay.

This effort follows the FAA’s two-decade-long NextGen project, which made some improvements but didn’t create the modern system desired to supplant the legacy one controlling crewed aircraft traffic.

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