US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that America's crumbling air traffic control infrastructure threatens both safety and economic growth. Speaking to the Financial Times, Christian Davies reports from Kansas City, where Duffy is pushing a $42.5bn overhaul he argues must squeeze decades of upgrades into three years. The drive followed a fatal airliner-helicopter collision outside Washington DC on Duffy's first day in office, and two near misses shortly after in Chicago and Phoenix.
The system is characterised by paper logs and decaying copper wiring. The Federal Aviation Administration recorded seven of the most serious category of "close call" runway incursions this year, up from four in 2025. Duffy secured $12.5bn in extra funds from Congress last year to buy new radars and upgrade control towers, and is seeking $30bn more. The plan has won praise from airlines, pilots' unions and aviation groups, including American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom.
Caution remains. The Government Accountability Office warned in September that a poorly planned upgrade could keep controllers on older systems longer, causing more outages, ground stops and possible safety incidents. Nick Daniels of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said switching systems while facilities are understaffed amounted to "changing a tyre going 70 miles an hour down the road."
Duffy insisted the US still has "the safest airspace in the world, bar none," but acknowledged that officials had told him "everything is old." FAA figures cited by acting chief technology officer Rebecca Guy show a 338 per cent rise in equipment-related flight delays between 2024 and 2025. Experts blame decades of chronic underfunding, and the challenge is now whether the overhaul can be delivered without introducing new risks.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing