Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asserted on Wednesday that “people will lose their lives” unless the United States invests in a new air traffic control system.
Duffy raised extreme concerns about the U.S.’s “aging” air traffic control infrastructure during a televized cabinet meeting, after President Donald Trump said he would ask Congress for funding toward the new system.
“If we don’t build a brand new system, there’s going to be failures and people will lose their lives,” Duffy said.
The transportation secretary said air traffic controllers were using “floppy disks” and “old computers,” and the systems were built on “copper wires.” He attributed some flight delays and cancellations to the outdated system not utilizing airspace.
Trump blamed former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg for failing to upgrade air traffic controllers’ towers properly during the Biden administration.
“This Buttigieg did a horrible job. They wasted billions and billions of dollars,” Trump asserted, adding that “a third-grade student would know it doesn’t work.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has been working for years to modernize its air traffic management to increase safety and efficiency. The program, known as “NextGen,” has specific milestones for the FAA to meet, but it’s been slow to roll out.
In addition to a slow rollout, the FAA has faced problems recruiting and retaining air traffic controllers.
Problems in the FAA have been heightened since a commercial plane crashed into a Black Hawk in January, killing all 67 people on both aircrafts.
“Our system is safe, but you would’ve hoped someone would’ve seen that there’s a problem with fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters coming in at DCA,” Duffy said.
Trump asserted that a new system would have prevented the deadly crash.
Preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates multiple factors contributed to the crash, including the fact that only one air traffic controller was managing both the helicopter and plane.
Duffy said it would take Congress’s help to fund the brand new system, which he said would be the “envy of the world.”
