GAO says FAA actions are 'urgently needed' to address aging ATC systems
WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for the U.S. Congress, has provided seven recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the urgent need to modernize the nation's air traffic control (ATC) systems.
The recommendations include a call for the agency to report to Congress on how it is mitigating risks from unsustainable systems and to establish clearer timelines for modernization projects. The recommendations also urged the FAA to streamline the establishment of baselines for investments and improve oversight of high-risk projects.
The FAA manages over 50,000 flights daily. Air traffic controllers rely on systems to monitor weather, conduct navigation and surveillance, and manage communications. However, the FAA has faced growing challenges with aging ATC systems, partly due to difficulty in sourcing parts, increased demand for airspace, and expanding mission needs. The FAA forecasts that air travel will grow by 6.2% annually, which the GAO says will place additional strain on these outdated systems.
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The GAO reviewed the FAA’s efforts to modernize its ATC infrastructure. GAO’s report focused on four objectives: identifying unsustainable ATC systems, determining the extent of FAA’s ongoing modernization efforts, evaluating the progress made on these initiatives, and assessing the FAA’s oversight of the modernization process.
The GAO noted that its definition for "sustainment" is based on an ATC system with significant shortage in spare parts and shortfalls in funding for those systems, or for funding in technology refreshes.
The GAO determined that of the FAA's 138 systems, 51 (37%) were unsustainable and 54 (39%) were potentially unsustainable. Of those unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems, 58 "have critical operational impacts on the safety and efficiency of the national airspace."
The FAA has ongoing projects to modernize 90 of the 105 listed potentially - and actually - unsustainable ATC systems as part of 64 agency investments. Most of those investments are in the form of technology refreshes (27).
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"However, FAA has been slow to modernize some of the most critical and at-risk systems," the GAO says in its report. "Specifically, when considering age, sustainability ratings, operational impact level, and expected date of modernization or replacement for each system, as of May 2024, FAA had 17 systems that were especially concerning. The 17 systems range from as few as 2 years old to as many as 50 years old, are unsustainable and are critical to the safety and efficiency of the national airspace. However, the investments intended to modernize or replace these 17 systems are not planned to be completed for at least 6 more years, and in some cases, they will not be completed for 10 to 13 years. In addition, FAA does not have ongoing investments associated with four of these critical systems and thus it is unknown when the associated system will be modernized or replaced."
The GAO's report on the FAA's need to modernize aging ATC systems is available here: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-107001.pdf.
Jamie Whitney
Jamie Whitney joined the staff of Military & Aerospace Electronics and Intelligent Aerospace. He brings seven years of print newspaper experience to the aerospace and defense electronics industry.
Whitney oversees editorial content for the Intelligent Aerospace Website, as well as produce news and features for Military & Aerospace Electronics, attend industry events, produce Webcasts, oversee print production of Military & Aerospace Electronics, and expand the Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics franchises with new and innovative content.
