The Federal Aviation Administration plans to replace the aging information systems by the end of 2028. Separately, the first US digital air traffic control towers are operational at airports in Florida and Alaska.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on 5 November that it plans to replace floppy-disk-dependent systems used for weather and other critical information at more than 400 US air traffic control facilities by the end of 2028. The planned replacement follows decades of reliance on systems dating to the 1980s.
In a separate development, the first US digital air traffic control towers are operational at Bartow Executive Airport in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska, The Guardian said on 7 November. The FAA plans to introduce the technology at 5 additional regional airports next.
The planned Enterprise Information Display System will replace 4 older systems and put operational information in one place so controllers can quickly see air traffic updates. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said it would move controllers away from manual processes and let them instantly share critical flight alerts, restricted-airspace schedules and pilot reports.
The digital towers use cameras and screens to give controllers a continuous, 360-degree view of runways, taxiways and surrounding airspace, the FAA said. The agency said the technology is intended to improve controllers’ visibility and information, not replace them. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said controllers continue to keep aircraft safely separated.
The FAA also relies on aging telecommunications, decades-old Compaq computers and replacement parts bought on eBay. US air traffic facilities operate individual analog computers and cannot communicate with one another, Reuters said.
In an October 23 memo to airports seen by Reuters, the FAA said recent fiber-optic cable cuts had caused air traffic control outages that could lead to delays, diversions and cancellations. It urged airports to coordinate projects with the agency.
The FAA cited an October 13 cable cut outside a gate at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport involving a cable connecting the airport to the FAA network that interrupted data services between FAA facilities and required a ground stop. In September, thousands of flights across the Northeast were delayed or canceled after a circuit failure at a Philadelphia air traffic facility and a construction crew’s accidental cutting of a cable in New Jersey.
A separate FAA project is replacing the paper flight strips controllers use to track aircraft. That rollout began in 2022 and will take until at least 2028 to reach 49 major airports; 27 have already stopped using the strips.
US Congress approved $12.5 billion over 5 years in June 2025 for air traffic control reforms. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is seeking another $30 billion for additional upgrades.
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Added the launch of the first US digital air traffic control towers and plans for further deployments.
