US Transportation Secretary Cites Congressional Funding Gaps for Air Traffic Control Issues
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on Saturday sought to downplay the recent disruptions, asserting that flights had returned to normal following Friday’s widespread grounding. He noted that all 500 aircraft in the air at the time the flight stop order was issued landed safely.
The Transportation Secretary explained that the recent disruptions occurred during maintenance operations aimed at converting air traffic control cables from analog to digital. He emphasized the use of outdated air traffic control equipment, some dating back decades, which requires replacement. Duffy also indicated that it remains unclear whether the disruption stemmed from a technical issue with routers or operational inefficiencies, but assured that the air navigation system failure was not the result of a cyberattack.
Attributing the shortcomings to the Trump administration, Sean Duffy claimed that President Trump had called for the modernization of air navigation systems, but Congress did not grasp the urgency of the matter. He stated that discussions about upgrading the air traffic control system have been ongoing for about two years, with requests made to Congress for the necessary funding. Duffy pointed out that while Congress allocated $12.5 billion for the modernization of navigation systems, the full requested amount was not provided. He added that the aviation system modernization enjoys bipartisan support, but a significant portion of the funding is being spent in cities and states leaning towards Democrats. He expressed hope that the aviation system modernization would receive congressional support and announced ongoing engagement with lawmakers.
In related remarks, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives told Fox News that the modernization of the air traffic control system should not become a partisan issue. He stressed that there is no need for investigation to understand the necessity of upgrading this system, as some of its equipment dates back to the 1980s.
