U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has indicated that while he and President Donald Trump are committed to drastically improving the infrastructure and technology at the nation's airports, the recent incidents involving air traffic outages are "unacceptable."
In an opinion essay written exclusively for Newsweek on Thursday, Duffy began by recalling his first day in office when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with a PSA-operated CRJ700 that was making a descent into Reagan National Airport just before 9 p.m. In total, 67 lives were lost from both aircraft — making it the deadliest crash in the U.S. since 2009.
Then on April 28 and May 9 at Newark Liberty International Airport, air traffic controllers were unable to see or talk to planes for as long as 90 seconds. The FAA facility based in Philadelphia that monitors Newark should be run with at least 38 controllers yet currently only has 22 fully certified controllers and five supervisors.
"Flight schedules were thrown into chaos, and several controllers took trauma leave. In response, airlines have reduced flights through Newark. This preventable crisis is unacceptable," Duffy wrote regarding the situation at Newark.
"Let me be clear: Air travel remains safe. I fly through Newark regularly and will continue to do so. Our current air traffic control system, though old, is functional. But President Donald Trump and I are committed to introducing a golden age of travel by making everyday travel safer, smoother and more affordable. We will ensure preventable outages no longer disrupt national flight schedules," wrote Duffy.
Duffy placed the blame on a decades of both parties doing little to improve the control system, citing "bureaucratic inaction." Duffy noted technology from the 1960s remains prevalent throughout air traffic control systems, saying he found "floppy disks, copper wires and ancient radar designed for propeller planes. The equipment looks like it came out of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum."
Duffy detailed the improvements he and Trump plan to make over the next three years, calling for a "complete transformation" but urged the cooperation of Congress to prevent any delay.
"President Trump and I will deliver an air traffic control system worthy of the greatest nation on Earth. The stakes — our safety and national security — demand nothing less," he concluded.
Duffy's essay comes the same day as a new report out of Denver from the FAA that said air traffic control lost communication for 90 seconds at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center on Monday.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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