WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has asked Congress to approve an additional US$19 billion to fully modernise the United States’ ageing air traffic control system, bringing the total cost of the overhaul to US$31.5 billion.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the request on Wednesday (July 16) at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, where he said the administration had the support of airlines and other aviation stakeholders.
“We are going to need more money from the Congress,” Duffy said. “We’re talking US$31.5 billion to do the full project.”
NEAR-MISSES AND DEADLY CRASH SPUR PUSH
Concerns over the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) outdated systems have been rising amid a series of high-profile incidents, including near-collisions and a January crash involving a US Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines jet that killed 67 people.
The US$12.5 billion already approved earlier this month includes US$2 billion for the first new en-route air traffic centre since the 1960s. The administration plans to name a private company to help manage the modernisation, with firms such as Raytheon and IBM under consideration, according to President Donald Trump.
