Air traffic control systems in the US rely on aging tech, $8 billion needed for upgrades

Why it matters: It is scary to contemplate that all that keeps a plane from crashing can come down to an air traffic controller’s sharp-eyed vigilance. It is even scarier to think that this person does not have the necessary tech to do their job properly. But that is the current state of affairs in the US, according to a GAO report. The Federal Aviation Administration is aware of the problem and says it needs $8 billion to fix it.
The Government Accountability Office has produced a report that should make any air traveler nervous, finding that the Federal Aviation Administration’s progress on updating its aging air traffic control (ATC) systems is woefully lagging with limited oversight.
The FAA knows very well that its systems need a tech refresh. Last year, after a shutdown of the national airspace due to a system outage caused by the accidental deletion of critical files, it conducted an operational risk assessment to evaluate the ATC systems’ sustainability. The FAA found 37% of its systems were unsustainable and 39% were potentially unsustainable. The reasons ranged from lack of parts to shortfalls in funding.
The GAO said over half of these unsustainable systems were