FAA launches $31.5 billion overhaul to modernize U.S. air traffic control by 2028

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters at the Department of Transportation headquarters that the agency is embarking on a sweeping modernization of America’s air traffic control network, aiming to complete more than 10,000 upgrades by 2028 under the Trump administration’s three-year timeline. Congress approved $12.5 billion in initial funding, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy estimates the total program will cost $31.5 billion, with the first major phase slated for finish by the end of 2028.

The plan tackles chronic staffing shortages—adding 2,000 new hires last year, many drawn from video-gaming circles—and seeks to certify a larger share of the 14,500-person controller workforce. Infrastructure upgrades are already underway, replacing paper flight strips with electronic displays, swapping copper telecom lines for fiber and satellite links, and installing new radar and IP-based voice systems; about 44 % of surface awareness projects and 60 % of telecom upgrades are complete.

Lawmakers such as Senator Jerry Moran have praised the “historic” scope, while retired controller Dave Riley cautioned that recruitment is only the first hurdle and that training attrition remains a concern. The modernization aims to improve efficiency, predictability and reliability rather than safety, hoping to reduce the high rate of delays that plagued 2025.