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When the U.S. House of Representatives last month released its fiscal year 2025 budget reconciliation text, the section concerning air traffic control modernization was noticeably vague. The Senate’s version of the reconciliation bill, which Republicans are currently wrangling votes to support, includes more specifics of what ATC modernization might look like in the U.S. — and air traffic control facility closure and consolidation appears to be a top priority.
The Senate bill calls for consolidation of enroute air route traffic control center (ARTCC) and terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities, having meanwhile eliminated $1 billion for controller recruitment that was set aside by the House — funding that could be critical as the FAA confronts a dire shortage of air traffic controllers. Facility consolidation was also included in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s high-level ATC modernization plan released in May and has been studied for years as a potential modernization tool.
Related: A ‘roller coaster’: Inside the FAA’s quest for stable funding
Past consolidation efforts have met fierce political resistance, pitting the FAA and industry advocates’ objectives of modernization and airspace efficiency against lawmakers’ staunch advocacy for jobs in their home districts. If the Senate instructs the FAA to pursue consolidation nationwide, the agency would be forced into a years-long political battle that, if successful, could relieve the FAA of expensive maintenance associated with crumbling ATC infrastructure.
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