Transportation Secretary Calls for Total Overhaul of US Air Traffic Control System

‘We’re gonna start the work of building a brand-new air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world,’ Duffy says.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at a press conference at the Department of Transportation in Washington on March 11, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on March 11 that he would go to Congress to request funding for a complete overhaul and upgrade of the air traffic control system of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

He made the comments during a March 11 press briefing on the preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. He said U.S. air traffic control is antiquated and relies on two- to three-decade-old technology.