Duffy unveils plan for additional ATC modernization funding

Duffy made the announcement at an aviation event in Washington, D.C., and said the $30 billion would be split evenly into three categories with each receiving $10 billion:

• Software and communications infrastructure
• Airports
• Control towers

The announcement came one day after major ATC disruptions occurred along the East Coast, which were caused by a failed circuit of an older communications line at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, and the discovery that a section of a backup fiber cable in New Jersey had accidentally been cut by construction workers earlier in the day.

“AOPA strongly supports Secretary Duffy’s proposal for $30 billion more for modernizing our national airspace,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Jim Coon. “While much progress has been made since last year’s $12.5 billion down payment, Monday’s disruptions across the Northeast, along with recent government reports and hearings, underscore the importance of continuing this effort. We join the rest of the aviation industry in urging Congress to provide these additional resources.”

The Modern Skies Coalition also endorsed the plan, saying that the resources are “needed to sustain this momentum and ensure the nation’s air traffic control system has the staffing, technology and infrastructure needed to meet future demands.”

“I am proud that AOPA is a founding member of the Modern Skies Coalition, which now boasts over 60 aviation companies and organizations and whose purpose is to support modernizing and updating our nation’s air traffic infrastructure rather than privatizing it,” added Coon.

The $30 billion plan follows the $12.5 billion down payment for the first phase of work, which was signed into law in July 2025—nearly $8 billion of which was dedicated for replacing outdated telecommunications and radar equipment.

A report from the Government Accountability Office published on September 14 said the FAA has made progress in implementing the first phase, leveraging preexisting projects to quickly deliver results, including the replacement of half of the more than 5,000 copper wires in the ATC system with fiber, and upgrading one-sixth of the radio sites.

The next day, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford testified at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on ATC modernization efforts and said the cost of completing the first phase has risen to $16 billion—and urged Congress to support additional funding.

“Let me be clear: If we halt the momentum now, and don’t accomplish the tasks associated with [the next phase] of modernization, once again we will see the system slip into higher delays, higher cancellations, and less resilient airspace,” said Bedford.

The GAO also found that the FAA “has not developed a comprehensive and well-documented lifecycle cost” for the overhaul, and that there is no integrated scheduling for the 11,389 projects. Bedford pushed back, saying the agency does have “lifecycle cost estimates for the entire project and… a highly integrated master work schedule.”