AIN
David Hughes
02 Feb 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.
The aviation industry is obviously thrilled to have the government suddenly spending $12.5 billion to help the aging legacy ATC system get its legs under it again—Congress in July furnished the sum in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act following a series of communications and notam outages, along with intense scrutiny on controller shortages in the wake of the January 29 midair collision by Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).
Our Once and Future ATC System | Aviation International News | 02 Feb 2026
