The Government Accountability Office (GAO) raised concerns earlier this year about the planning and management of a multibillion-dollar effort to replace America’s aging aviation infrastructure
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is undertaking one of the most ambitious technology modernization initiatives in its history, seeking to replace decades-old air traffic control systems with modern communications, surveillance, weather monitoring, and automation technologies. However, the recent nationwide shutdown of the entire U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system is shedding new light on a September report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). In that report, GAO warned FAA and Congress that the FAA’s initiative faces significant risks because the FAA has not developed a comprehensive cost estimate or an integrated implementation schedule.
The report, Air Traffic Control Systems: Ambitious New Modernization Effort Needs to Improve Cost and Schedule Planning (GAO-26-107992), examines the FAA’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) initiative, announced in May 2025.
GAO acknowledges the urgency of replacing outdated aviation infrastructure and recognizes the FAA’s early progress. Nevertheless, the report raises a fundamental concern: Can the federal government accelerate a complex, nationwide technology modernization program without repeating the cost overruns, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls that have characterized previous efforts?
An Aging Air Traffic Control System Poses Growing Risks
The FAA manages one of the world’s most complex aviation networks, supporting as many as 45,000 flights daily. Yet much of the technology that air traffic controllers depend upon is decades old.
According to GAO, an earlier FAA assessment of 138 air traffic control systems found that:
The consequences of this aging infrastructure have become increasingly visible. In January 2023, a failure of the FAA’s Notice to Airmen system triggered a nationwide ground stop, delaying nearly 10,000 flights and causing more than 1,300 cancellations.
More recently, telecommunications failures affecting Newark Liberty International Airport in April and May 2025 temporarily prevented controllers from communicating with pilots or tracking aircraft on radar. GAO also identified failures involving surveillance systems, runway safety technologies, and outdated automation equipment.
These incidents underscore the importance of modernizing aviation infrastructure not simply to improve operational efficiency, but to protect public safety and maintain confidence in the national airspace system.