Air Traffic Control Outages at Major US Airports

SOURCE www.the-sun.com
Passengers are concerned about safety and flight delays due to air traffic control outages at major US airports. The FAA is working on a multi-billion dollar plan to upgrade outdated systems and equipment.

Key Points

  • Recent wave of radar and radio blackouts at Newark, Houston, Denver, and Atlanta airports
  • FAA planning to replace outdated systems with fiber-optic, satellite, and wireless upgrades
  • Upgrade process will take three to four years and require approval and funding from Congress
  • Shortage of air traffic controllers is complicating the situation

Pros

  • FAA is aware of the issue and working on a plan to upgrade systems
  • Redundancies in place to keep passengers safe during flights

Cons

  • 40+ radio and radar glitches since 2022 across dozens of FAA facilities
  • Shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers