Rapid Modernization Required in Nearly 40% of FAA ATC Systems

The U.S. Government and Accountability Office (GAO) is living up to its name after completing an audit on the 138 FAA air traffic control systems. The report found that 51 systems are painfully outdated, causing concern for both security and efficiency.

The office’s investigation was motivated by a systems outage on January 11, 2023. The FAA was forced to issue a nearly 2-hour nationwide ground stop after its NOTAM system went out of service. This was caused by staff unintentionally deleting necessary files.

According to the report, 37% of the FAA’s ATC systems are in desperate need of modernization, lacking spare parts and requiring specialized maintenance for overhaul. The office ruled that 29 systems are “unsustainable” and another 29 are “potentially unsustainable,” damaging operations in the national airspace. It also stated that 15 systems have no modernization investment plans.

GAO commented that the FAA “did not prioritize or establish near-term plans to modernize unsustainable and critical systems based on its operational assessment. Until FAA reports to the Congress on how it is addressing all critical systems, Congress will not be fully informed on how FAA is mitigating the risks of these systems.”

Outdated tech opens significant vulnerabilities in federal cybersecurity. This issue is especially pressing now, as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was subjected to a ransomware attack just last month. The hackers were able to breach the Port of Seattle’s systems and demanded a $6 million ransom payment.

“[Legacy systems] are a threat that, not just the government, but every private sector company on the face of the earth should be concerned about,” explained Mark Weatherford, former undersecretary for cybersecurity at DHS.

The White House has requested an $8 billion allocation over five years for replacements and tech modernization as part of the FY2025 FAA budget. Several of the “unsustainable” systems, however, are not expected to receive updates until sometime in the 2030s if the current modernization plans remain.

Representative Mark DeSaulnier expressed that the FAA has no excuse for these issues. “I’m sick of hearing the F.A.A. and the airlines go, ‘We have the safest record in the world,’ and that’s true, but they’re resting on their laurels. And all it takes is one big incident to change that.”

FMI: www.faa.gov