© Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Washington, DC) — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is calling for a massive overhaul of the country’s air traffic control system. It’s being driven by the April 28th incident that impacted Newark Liberty International airspace. Screens and frequencies went dark, leaving air traffic controllers unable to communicate with pilots for 90 seconds.
At a news conference in Washington on Thursday, Duffy said if the system isn’t modernized, Newark will happen in other parts of the country.
He laid out a wide-ranging plan to install new telecom and fiber, new radios in airport towers, sensors on the tarmacs and radar on the ground. The Transportation Secretary wants Congress to approve upfront funding for the mission. He estimates it could be done in three to four years but didn’t say what it would cost, noting a price tag can’t be put on safety.
