Leaving aside the controversies surrounding the new U.S. budget bill, there’s at least some good news for air travelers and the airline industry: a $12.5 billion commitment in long-needed funding to upgrade the aging and in some instances failing air traffic control system.
The passage of the bill comes on the heels of a month of attention to ongoing issues at Newark Liberty International Airport, including a series of radio and radar outages, staff shortages and staff taking trauma leave, but the need for a major overhaul of a system designed and implemented nearly a half century ago has been clear.
The funds in the bill represent a change in that they have been earmarked outside the normal 5-year funding cycle for the Federal Aviation Administration.
As definite plans for the work take shape, there will likely be some infighting among politicians, because developing the new system will result in closing or consolidating some existing facilities, and no member of Congress will be happy if it’s in their district.
