Plan to reform US air traffic control system

World World: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday proposed a multi-billion dollar plan to reform the US air traffic control system. His aim is to improve the scattered structure, staff shortage and failing technology in this system. Under this plan, the reform work is expected to be completed in three to four years.

Currently, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is facing many problems, including outdated technology of air traffic control centers, communication failures and staff shortages. Recently, hundreds of flights were forced to cancel or change their route due to communication failure at Newark Airport.

In addition, the FAA team is short of 3500 air traffic controllers, and employees are under heavy overtime work pressure. To improve this situation, the FAA plans to hire 2000 new trainees in 2023.

Currently, the Trump administration has proposed to seek help from private companies such as Raytheon or IBM to improve this system. However, several attempts to improve the system have failed in the past.