WASHINGTON— The Trump administration is seeking $50 billion to overhaul the United States‘ ageing air traffic control system after a nationwide communications failure forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to halt flight departures across the country on November 13, 2026. The disruption affected thousands of flights and exposed the risks associated with outdated technology used to manage American airspace.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy increased the administration’s funding demand during a Friday briefing, arguing that the country needs a complete modernisation of its air traffic control infrastructure. The announcement followed an earlier $30.1 billion funding request submitted by Duffy and White House budget director Russell Vought, which included upgrades to airports, control towers and air traffic management technology.
Nationwide Flight Disruption Across America
The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop after communications problems affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers responsible for managing aircraft between airports.
The disruption began on Friday afternoon, forcing airlines to suspend departures while technicians investigated the technical problems.
More than 3,500 aircraft were flying across the United States when officials decided to stop departures. The ground stop remained in place for several hours, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and creating widespread disruption across airline operations.
Transportation officials later attributed the problem to instability involving outdated switches and routers within the FAA’s legacy communications network. The equipment experienced data overload, resulting in inconsistent radar information and communication with aircraft.
The FAA eventually restored operations and lifted the restrictions. However, airlines continued facing delays and cancellations as they worked to reposition aircraft, manage crew schedules and clear passenger backlogs.
$50 Billion Modernisation Funding Plan
Duffy described the incident as an emergency and called on Congress to provide additional funding to replace the country’s ageing air traffic control infrastructure. He argued that the FAA needs a complete technological overhaul rather than continuing to upgrade individual components.
The administration’s earlier $30.1 billion proposal included $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernisation, $2 billion for improving or replacing control towers and $18 billion for airport infrastructure projects.
The air traffic control allocation includes $7.2 billion for a common automation platform and controller workstations, alongside $2 billion for cloud computing.
The airport funding also includes $10 billion to modernise or replace ageing passenger terminals. Major airlines, including American Airlines (AA), Delta Air Lines (DL), United Airlines (UA) and Southwest Airlines (WN), have expressed support for the proposed investment.
Congress had already approved $12.5 billion over five years in July 2025 for air traffic control improvements and additional controller recruitment. That package also included $1.9 billion to replace outdated en route control centres.
Aging FAA Technology Modernisation Programme
The latest outage has renewed concerns about the reliability of the technology supporting the United States’ national airspace system.
The FAA continues to depend on decades-old computers and outdated communication equipment, with some facilities still using floppy disks to transfer critical operational information.
The agency previously announced plans to eliminate floppy disk technology at more than 400 air traffic control facilities by the end of 2028.
Meanwhile, Duffy and Vought reported that 68% of the FAA’s legacy copper telecommunications network had already been replaced with high-speed fibre infrastructure, The Telegraph reported.
Recent disruptions have also highlighted weaknesses in the system. In September 2026, a circuit failure at a Philadelphia air traffic facility and an accidentally severed fibre-optic cable in New Jersey disrupted thousands of flights across the Northeast.
The January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which killed 67 people, also intensified scrutiny of aviation safety and air traffic management.
The Trump administration is urging Congress to approve additional funding before the end of the year. With Democrats expected to take control of Congress in January, the administration faces pressure to secure support for its proposed modernisation programme.
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