The federal government has picked two companies to replace 612 radar systems nationwide that date back to the 1980s as part of a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the nation's air traffic control system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that contractors RTX and Spanish firm Indra will replace the radar systems by the summer of 2028.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working to overhaul the country's air traffic control system in an effort to reduce outages and improve efficiency. To revamp the old system, the agency put down an initial $12.5 billion and awarded a contract to technology firm Peraton, according to the FAA. The project is ultimately expected to cost an additional $20 billion with the administration's goal to fully implement the new system by the end of 2028.
Airlines for America, the main lobbying group for major US carriers, is predicting a record-breaking year for holiday travel as an estimated 31 million people fly between November 21 and December 1. That's about 2.8 million passengers a day queuing at check-in and security and vying for lounge space. The demand requires about 45,000 more daily seats, with the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving being the busiest days to fly.
"All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn't will be substantially 'docked.' ... For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU. You didn't step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our country."
Millions of travelers are about to be stuck in a government-directed slowdown of air travel as the strain grows on unpaid and overworked air traffic controllers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that, starting on Friday, officials are cutting 10% of flights at 40 US airports. The aviation analytics company Cirium compiled a list of about 100 potentially affected airports. Six have so far confirmed to Business Insider that they are among the 40, including Anchorage, Atlanta, Charlotte, Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Investigators are looking into a close call between a Southwest Airlines flight and a helicopter that forced the plane to abort its landing and go around. Southwest Flight 1333, from Baltimore, was on approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport last Wednesday. At the same time, an Airbus H145 medical helicopter was en route to pick up a patient from a hospital in the city.
Tens of thousands of air traffic controllers and TSA agents have been working with reduced pay in what has become the second-longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. At a Friday press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insisted that the system was still safe but said it was under strain. The stress level that our controllers are under right now, I think, is unacceptable, Duffy said.
A staffing shortage at Los Angeles International Airport prompted a temporary ground stop affecting flights Sunday morning. The restriction began around 8:45 a.m. affecting departing flights for Oakland and was lifted at 10:30 a.m. with a possibility of being extended until 2 p.m., according to an FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory. Even after the resumption of flights, travelers were instructed to check the status of their flights.
