Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy appeared on NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning, emphasizing the Trump administration's urgent push to modernize the nation's outdated airspace communications infrastructure.
Secretary Duffy cited recent outages at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). He described the situation as deeply concerning and stressed the need to replace the legacy system, which still relies on copper wiring, not fiber optics.
"We're having these glitches in the system," he said, adding, "So we slow it down and keep people safe. That's what we do."
Secretary Duffy said air traffic is being deliberately slowed and may last for "several weeks" at EWR following a series of radar outages, including the latest incident on Sunday morning. A separate outage on Friday had already prompted a temporary ground stop at the airport.
Bloomberg adds more color about today's ground stop at EWR:
On Sunday, an FAA equipment failure prompted a temporary ground stop at Newark. Controllers briefly slowed arriving and departing flights due to a "telecommunications issue" at a Philadelphia air traffic control center that was implicated in last week's 90-second outage, according to the FAA's website.
"I'm concerned about the whole airspace," Secretary Duffy said, pointing out much of the "equipment that we use, much of it we can't buy parts for new. We have to go on eBay and buy parts if one part goes down. You're dealing with really old equipment."
The FAA's outdated and deteriorating infrastructure was well known during the Biden-Harris regime, yet little was done to address the looming crisis. Instead, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg prioritized woke initiatives—such as addressing so-called 'racist' infrastructure—over urgently needed modernization efforts of the nation's air traffic systems.
Whether this reflects mismanagement or intentional negligence remains up for debate—but after four years of woke warriors in the White House, the consequences are undeniable: the entire airspace network is in crisis.
An urgent fix is needed, and that's precisely what Secretary Duffy and his team are now racing to deliver.
Duffy on the air traffic control system: "The lights are blinking, the sirens are turning ... what you see in Newark is gonna happen in other places across the country."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2025
Good luck, air travelers! pic.twitter.com/8woxmSYzvo
Nationwide Problem
Twice in two weeks, air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport lost all communication with aircraft - brief breakdowns that halted flights, triggered mass delays, and revived deep-seated concerns about the frailty of America’s air navigation infrastructure.
No lives were lost, but for 90 seconds on April 28 - and again during a radar outage Friday - controllers at one of the nation’s busiest airports were effectively flying blind. The incidents rattled controllers, pushed already strained staffing to a breaking point, and highlighted what aviation leaders call a system overdue for a fundamental overhaul.
"There is a shortage of controllers nationwide, but not to the degree it’s occurring at Newark," said Jeff Guzzetti, a former FAA and NTSB investigator. "Newark has always been the worst in terms of air traffic staffing and modernizing its equipment."
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy cited "decades of underinvestment," and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the FAA "really a mess." The Transportation Department’s inspector general reported that 20 of the 26 most critical U.S. airports fall below the minimum staffing threshold for controllers, The Guardian reports. At Newark, some controllers who say they're traumatized by the latest breakdown, have taken leave—exacerbating already severe shortages.
The Trump administration responded Thursday with a sweeping modernization proposal. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy unveiled a plan to replace "antiquated telecommunications" with fiber, wireless, and satellite systems at more than 4,600 sites nationwide. "We are blessed to have a president who actually loves to build and knows how to build," Duffy said.
The plan was met with cautious optimism. Airlines and the air traffic controllers’ union endorsed the initiative, while the Modern Skies Coalition, a group of industry stakeholders, said it was encouraged by the department’s prioritization of safety. Yet some aviation experts questioned whether this plan will succeed where previous efforts have failed.
Robert W Mann Jr, an aviation industry analyst, said that for 40 years there have been FAA reauthorizations approved by Congress, but they haven’t fixed the problems. “Unless you do it right, it doesn’t make a difference what you spend,” he said. “You won’t have solved the root causes.”
Nonetheless, Mann said he remained confident about airline safety. He said: “There’s a primacy in this business. Whether you’re working at airlines or the FAA, safety is the first thing.”
Mann said that days when an airport faces severe understaffing of air traffic controllers or a crush of airplanes eager to take off as bad weather lifts, there will often be delays to ensure safety. “I’m not worried about safety,” Mann said, “but I might be worried that my flight will be four hours’ late.” -Guardian
Thursday’s announcement did not include a price tag, though the House Transportation Committee estimates a full system overhaul would cost at least $12.5 billion. Duffy acknowledged it could run higher.
Beyond the hardware, the human element is equally strained. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the U.S. needs more than 14,300 fully certified controllers. Today, the system has fewer than 10,800, with over 2,000 trainees still working toward full certification - a process that can take up to three years at high-volume airports like JFK and Newark.
Aging Infrastructure
The system’s shortfall dates back more than four decades. "The natural rhythm of the system broke down and we never fully recovered," said Georgetown labor historian Joseph McCartin, referencing President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 mass firing of striking controllers. "We’ve improved over time, but the FAA still has grave difficulty staffing facilities."
Guzzetti noted that the FAA still uses outdated software and facilities reliant on copper wire and even floppy disks. "It’s all coming to a head now," he said. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report warned that 51 of the FAA’s 138 ATC systems are unsustainable.
Meanwhile, a tragic January crash involving a commercial jet and army helicopter near Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people, remains under investigation. President Trump drew sharp criticism for blaming the accident on DEI policies before findings were released. On May 1, another army helicopter forced two commercial jets to abort landings at Reagan.
Despite this troubling backdrop, Mann expressed confidence in the industry’s safety culture. "I’m not worried about safety," he said, "but I might be worried that my flight will be four hours’ late."
Flight attendants’ union president Sara Nelson praised the dedication of frontline workers. "They should be commended for working in a system that’s crumbling," she said. "They’re like the nurses during Covid."
Duffy’s plan also includes incentives aimed at alleviating workforce shortages, including $5,000 bonuses for recruits who complete initial training. But industry officials stress that appropriations from Congress will be key.
"I hate to say we’re a canary in the coalmine," said Nelson, "but what happened in Newark is a sign of what will come in other airports if we don’t get the budget we need."
