US wants another $30 billion for aviation system upgrades
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FILE PHOTO: The Air Traffic Control tower at Ronald Reagan International Airport in Arlington, Virginia., U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday that he will ask Congress to approve another $30 billion for air traffic control towers, software and digital upgrades as well as improving airport facilities.
Congress approved $12.5 billion over five years in June 2025 for air traffic control reforms but Duffy has been seeking billions more and on Tuesday sought another $10 billion for airports.
"We are going to ask Congress for $30 billion," Duffy said at a speech in Washington. "We have to look at how the country has changed and what the needs are at the airports."
The request has taken on new urgency since a major telecom failure on Monday a paralyzed traffic along the east coast for hours and disrupted thousands of flights.
About $10 billion of the funding being sought is to replace aging air traffic control towers and another $10 billion is for telecom and other tech systems used for air traffic control.
Some of the funding being sought is to expand a new software-based system the FAA began using on Monday that uses predictive analytics to improve how flights are managed.
A government report last week said Congress needs to approve more money just to finish the first phase of the air traffic control program and said the FAA needs a better estimate of how much the new system will cost to operate.
The price tag for telecommunications upgrades has jumped $4.75 billion to $5.91 billion, the report said. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said outdated telecom copper wires should be completely replaced by September 2027.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Nick Zieminski and Deepa Babington)
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