The U.S. Department of Transportation is asking Congress for an extra $30 billion to modernize aging airport infrastructure across the country, some of which dates back to the 1960s.
The request, which DOT Secretary Sean Duffy delivered at a news conference Monday, comes as DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration greenlit an AI-enhanced air traffic control system that all U.S. airports will adopt by 2028.
Congress had granted DOT $12 billion for that new flight activity monitoring system; now, Duffy stressed, the department needs more money “to finish what we started.”
“For the $30 billion, I’ll just ask the American people and the Congress: If you don’t want to do it now, when do you want to do it?” Duffy asked. “When are we sick enough of the delays and the cancellations and the infrastructure that we use that’s so old?”
For decades, the FAA has only had the funding to simply sustain old and outdated infrastructure, rather than replacing and modernizing it.
Many airport ground systems and traffic control towers are still relying on paper flight strips, floppy disks, and copper wire rather than fiber cable.
The anticipated $30 billion investment would be divided three ways, Duffy said. Ten billion would go toward replacing the underlying architecture in 1980s-era telecom systems and building new system software, which currently dates back to the 1990s.
Another $10 billion would replace air traffic control towers built in the 1960s and ’70s and pay for new runways for growing airports. The remaining cash would flow to mid-size airports that currently have difficulties accessing the capital needed to upgrade, Duffy said.
“Now I can’t build every new tower; I can’t build every new airport for everybody by the end of 2028,” Duffy added. “But the core infrastructure that we use, the software that we use, could all be done in two and a half years. It’s just going to take the resources from the Congress to make it happen.”
According to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, modernizing air transportation infrastructure could actually save $300 billion over the next two decades.
By contrast, continuing to simply sustain and repair legacy systems would cost $1.6 trillion during that same time period, since maintenance and part replacements for older systems are more expensive.
Multiple stakeholders showed in-person support for the $30 billion proposal, including Chris Sununu of Airlines for America, Nick Daniels of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and Capt. Jason Ambrosi of the Airline Pilots Association.
“We’re flying 21st century airplanes through a 20th century system,” Ambrosi told reporters. “If we stop now, we’re stuck running new equipment next to old legacy systems that were never built for it.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who also spoke at the news conference, afterwards introduced the Modern Skies Act, a bill that would authorize the $30 billion and put the outlined plans in motion. He and Duffy emphasized the bipartisan nature of the bill, urging the hyper-polarized 119th Congress to pass it after the November midterm elections.
“Travelers face long lines, aging airports, constant delays, and an air traffic control system in desperate need of attention,” Schmitt stated. “The Modern Skies Act will launch a new era of American aviation by building a world-class system that works better for air traffic controllers, airlines, and, most importantly, passengers.”
