WASHINGTON — The nation’s top aviation regulator is calling on Congress to provide an additional $10 billion to overhaul the United States’ aging air traffic control system, as officials brace for a dramatic increase in air travel demand over the coming decades.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters the agency is moving quickly to put the initial $12.5 billion — already approved by Congress — to work, after years of underinvestment left the system far behind where it should be.
“We’re behind 20 years. The system is extremely safe, but it comes at the price of inefficiency and inconvenience,” Bedford said. “Americans tolerate this hugely inefficient system… And as long as it’s safe, I think that sort of saps the will to fix it.”
Policymakers are working to get ahead of projections showing air traffic could double within the next two decades, making upgrades to the current system increasingly urgent.
