GAO Study IDs Critical Risks in Aging U.S. Air Traffic Control Systems

A Government Accountability Office risk assessment to evaluate the viability of Federal Aviation Administration operated air traffic control systems following a shutdown of the national airspace in 2023 shows 37% of the systems are unsustainable.

The GAO assessment out this week also determined 51 of the 138 systems (39%) are potentially unsustainable.

Of the 105 total unsustainable and potentially unstable systems, 58 (29 unsustainable and 29 potentially unstable) have “critical operational impacts on the safety and efficiency of the national airspace,” the assessment states.

The assessment acknowledges the FAA has made efforts to modernize 90 of the 105 unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems, including 64 ongoing investments, but the agency has been slow to briing the most critical and at-risk systems up to date.

Of the 17 most critical systems identified, 13 are more than two decades old, four are more than three decades old, while none of the systems have an associated completion date earlier than 2030, and four have no completion date, according to the assessment.

The assessment also notes that the FAA did not prioritize or initiate near-term plans to modernize the critical unsustainable systems based on the 2023 operational risk assessment, but that the agency recognizes their lack of oversight of these assessments.

The GAO recommendations to the FAA include:

• Report to Congress on how it is mitigating risks of all unsustainable and critical systems identified in the annual operational risk assessments.
• Establish a timeframe for developing and implementing guidance to increase oversight of pre- baselined investments that require additional resources or time prior to establishing a baseline. Ensure that air traffic control modernization investments establish baselines in an expeditious manner.
• Establish a timeframe for developing and implementing guidance that ensures that air traffic control system modernization investments are organized as manageable segments.
• Ensure consistent reviews by the oversight council of all high-risks facing air traffic control modernization investments.

According to the assessment, the FAA safely manages more than 50,000 flights daily.

“Air traffic controllers use a myriad of systems to, among other things, monitor weather, conduct navigation and surveillance, and manage communications,” the assessment states. “However, over the past several decades, FAA has been experiencing challenges with aging (air traffic control) systems. These challenges are due to, among other things, availability of parts, growing airspace demand, and expanding mission needs.”