TagATC(23)

GAO-25-108597 Published: Aug 28, 2025. Publicly Released: Aug 28, 2025. Fast Facts Bad weather can snarl air travel. Air traffic controllers make weather-related decisions, like changing a plane’s route, for safety and efficiency. The National Weather Service puts aviation meteorologists on-site at the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control centers to help. They give regular

By  JOSH FUNK and JOHN SEEWER The Trump administration on Thursday proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of a U.S. air traffic control system that it said still relies on floppy disks and replacement parts found on eBay and has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of recent deadly plane crashes and technical failures. The plan calls for six new air traffic

Simon Golstein At any given moment, there are more than 10,000 aircraft in the air. They fly along the same routes and use the same airports, taking off and landing within moments of each other. And yet, statistics show that flying is by far the safest way to travel. This is thanks to air traffic

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many. The FAA and the aviation community are pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls, a commitment from the Safety Summit in March. The same approach virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard U.S. commercial airlines. Since 2009,

Knowing the ATC system structure provides insight into its effective use. Rose Marie Kern In 22 facilities across the U.S., thousands of air traffic controllers actively watch the skies over their assigned sectors. Each Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) is almost a small town in itself. The Operations Room contains 50 to 60 consoles