Regulations & Safety
US Seeks $30 Billion More for Air Traffic Control Overhaul
The Modern Skies Act requests $30B more for ATC modernization, raising total program costs to $42.5 billion.
This article summarizes reporting by Reuters by David Shepardson.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and aviation industry leaders formally requested an additional $30 billion from Congress on September 28, 2026, to overhaul the aging air traffic control infrastructure of the United States. The funding push follows a massive telecommunications failure that disrupted East Coast airspace and a fatal 2025 mid-air collision that exposed systemic vulnerabilities.
The proposed legislation, introduced by U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) as the Modern Skies Act, aims to complete the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) overhaul. According to Reuters, the total projected cost for the modernization program has risen to $42.5 billion, significantly exceeding the $12.5 billion previously allocated by Congress in June 2025.
Funding Allocation and Technological Upgrades
The requested $30 billion is divided into three primary categories. Approximately $10 billion is earmarked for replacing aging air traffic control towers and physical infrastructure. Another $10 billion is designated for telecommunications and technology systems, including cybersecurity enhancements. The final $10 billion is allocated for infrastructure improvements at medium-sized Airports.
A specific $7.2 billion portion of the funding will expand the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently began deploying this artificial intelligence-supported platform in the Washington, D.C., area to utilize predictive analytics for flight management and congestion relief.
Industry stakeholders, including Airlines for America (A4A), the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), have endorsed the funding request. National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels emphasized the necessity of the capital injection.
The $12.5 billion that Congress provided last year helped get this effort moving, and we’re seeing meaningful progress. But there’s a large amount of work still remaining, and this additional $30 billion would allow the FAA to accelerate replacement of the aging infrastructure, deploy modern technology and build a system capable, finally, of meeting the demands of the future.
Recent Disruptions Highlight System Vulnerabilities
The urgency of the funding request follows a severe telecommunications outage that paralyzed air traffic along the U.S. East Coast. On September 20, 2026, the FAA switched to a backup fiber line after detecting error messages in a primary circuit at a Philadelphia Terminal Radar Systems (TRACON) facility. The following day, a New Jersey Transit contractor accidentally severed the backup fiber-optic cable near New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The severed connection resulted in the delay or cancellation of approximately 9,500 flights. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford noted that the agency only discovered the break in the backup fiber when the system attempted to failover from the primary circuit. While Secretary Duffy initially attributed the severed cable to an Amtrak crew on social media, New Jersey Transit later confirmed its contractors were responsible for the damage.
Broader safety concerns also underscore the modernization push. In January 2025, a mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) resulted in 67 fatalities. The accident spurred initial legislative action, leading to the June 2025 funding package. Secretary Duffy stated on social media that the previous funding levels would take 300 years to replace the nation’s air traffic control towers, calling the timeline unacceptable and urging Congress to finish the job.
AirPro News analysis
We observe that the escalating cost of the BNATCS program reflects the historical difficulty of executing large-scale technological transitions within the national airspace system. The jump from a $12.5 billion allocation to a projected $42.5 billion total cost indicates that initial estimates likely underestimated the complexity of integrating predictive analytics like the SMART system with legacy radar and telecommunications networks.
The recent East Coast outage demonstrates a critical lack of redundancy in the current architecture. A single point of failure in a backup fiber line causing 9,500 flight disruptions highlights why the $10 billion earmarked specifically for telecommunications and cybersecurity is a focal point of the Modern Skies Act. Securing this funding will require navigating a divided Congress, but the combination of a fatal accident and severe operational disruptions provides substantial leverage for the Department of Transportation and industry advocates.
Sources: Reuters
Photo Credit: Newark Airport
Regulations & Safety
FAA Completes Safety Audit of Kazakhstan Aviation System
The FAA concluded a five-day IASA audit in Kazakhstan, a key step toward a Category 1 rating and Air Astana U.S. flights.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded a five-day International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) of Kazakhstan’s aviation oversight system, marking a critical regulatory step toward establishing direct commercial flights between the Central Asian nation and the United States.
According to a September 28, 2026, statement from the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, FAA experts presented their final oral findings to local authorities on September 25 in Astana. The assessment evaluates whether the country’s regulatory framework meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, a prerequisite for achieving an FAA Category 1 rating.
The path to Category 1 certification
The formal assessment ran from September 21 to 25, 2026, following a preliminary technical review conducted by the FAA between August 26 and 30, 2024. The IASA program specifically audits a civil aviation authority’s compliance with ICAO standards, focusing on Annex 1 for personnel licensing, Annex 6 for aircraft operations, and Annex 8 for airworthiness.
As part of the evaluation, FAA inspectors conducted an on-site technical visit to the headquarters of national carrier Air Astana on September 24 to verify regulatory data. The Civil Aviation Committee described the visit as a “very positive experience and mutually beneficial for all organizations.”
Air Astana’s US market ambitions
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Committee, and the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) have spent two years aligning local regulations with U.S. requirements. A Category 1 rating is mandatory before the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will process applications from foreign carriers to operate direct flights to U.S. destinations.
Air Astana has already submitted a formal application to the DOT for economic authority to launch commercial service to the United States. The airline’s expansion plans remain contingent on the FAA issuing a final written determination granting Kazakhstan Category 1 status.
AirPro News analysis
The conclusion of the on-site IASA audit is a major milestone, but it does not immediately grant Category 1 status. We expect the FAA to issue a formal written notification outlining any required corrective actions. Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities will need to address these findings during final consultations before the FAA officially upgrades the country’s safety rating. If successful, Air Astana will clear its most significant regulatory hurdle for U.S. expansion, though securing DOT economic authority and finalizing fleet allocation for long-haul transoceanic routes will dictate the actual timeline for inaugural flights.
Sources: Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan (via Qazinform News Agency)
Photo Credit: Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan
Regulations & Safety
Boeing 737 MAX Navigation Glitch Delays Fix Until 2028
Boeing’s 737 MAX navigation software anomaly, found in 2024, faces FAA review and may delay MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification.
The Boeing Company is developing a permanent software fix, expected in early 2028, for a newly disclosed navigation glitch on the Boeing 737 MAX that disables automated vertical navigation following a missed approach. The issue has prompted major operators to request deliveries with older software versions and could complicate certification timelines for the final two variants of the MAX family.
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal on September 26, 2026, Boeing first became aware of the anomaly in November 2024 but did not formally notify operators until August 2026. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently assessing the situation and plans to convene a Corrective Action Review Board to determine the appropriate regulatory response.
Operational impact and airline response
The software anomaly affects the aircraft’s automated vertical navigation capabilities specifically during a landing attempt that follows a go-around. While Boeing stated the issue does not pose an immediate safety risk, it requires pilots to manually intervene or follow specific procedures to restore the automated functions.
Southwest Airlines (WN) and United Airlines (UA) have responded to the August 2026 notification by requesting that Boeing deliver their new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft equipped with an older, unaffected version of the flight control software. Boeing confirmed it is collaborating with carriers to establish formal procedures allowing flight crews to reenable the automated systems if the glitch occurs in flight.
“We shared information with operators that reinforced existing pilot procedures for safely handling such cases,” Boeing stated, adding that engineers are developing a permanent software update.
Regulatory scrutiny and certification timelines
The FAA is monitoring the software anomaly through its Corrective Action Review Board process. The regulator noted it will mandate immediate action if the review identifies an active safety concern for the current in-service fleet.
The disclosure introduces potential hurdles for the pending certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and Boeing 737 MAX 10. According to The Air Current, the FAA review of the software issue could delay the regulatory approval required to bring these final two MAX variants into commercial service.
AirPro News analysis
We note that the timeline between Boeing’s initial discovery of the software issue in November 2024 and its operator notification in August 2026 is likely to draw intense scrutiny from the FAA. While the glitch involves a specific and relatively rare flight profile, any software anomaly affecting automated flight path management on the 737 MAX carries heavy historical and regulatory weight. The requests from Southwest and United to revert to older software versions indicate a strong operator preference for known, stable configurations over newer iterations carrying unmitigated bugs.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal
Photo Credit: Boeing
Regulations & Safety
ICAO DGCA 61st Conference Adopts Asia-Pacific Aviation Framework
34 Asia-Pacific states adopt 44-recommendation framework on safety, sustainability, and AAM at ICAO’s 61st DGCA Conference.
Aviation leaders from 34 Asia-Pacific states adopted a framework to monitor and report progress on safety, sustainability, and capacity-building commitments during the 61st Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which concluded on September 11, 2026. The agreement establishes a formalized mechanism for regional regulators to assess compliance and share technical resources across the world’s largest air transport market.
According to a press release from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the new framework establishes 44 recommendations designed to support the organization’s 2050 vision of zero aviation fatalities and net-zero carbon emissions. The week-long conference, running from September 7 to September 11, 2026, gathered more than 450 senior government officials, technical experts, and industry representatives.
Framework commitments and sustainability targets
Delegates at the conference agreed to specific environmental and operational measures. These include the accelerated deployment of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF), alongside continued regional support for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
The framework also mandates enhanced regulatory oversight of lithium battery shipments and the adoption of digital border identity systems. On the operational side, participating states committed to modernizing air navigation systems through the integration of artificial intelligence and trajectory-based operations.
ICAO Council President Toshiyuki Onuma, who assumed office on January 1, 2026, emphasized the region’s critical role in global aviation policy during the proceedings.
“To continue expanding, aviation needs the right global policy framework. This means we need active input and regional perspectives from the Asia-Pacific States,” Onuma stated.
Advanced Air Mobility and regulatory sandboxes
The integration of new airspace entrants formed a major component of the regulatory discussions. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, led by Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, advocated for the use of regulatory sandboxes to safely integrate Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles into the low-altitude economy.
Industry stakeholders utilized the conference to align with regional regulators on these initiatives. EHang Holdings Limited (EH) presented its Global Fast Track Program to attendees. According to a company statement, EHang is advancing sandbox projects in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong to accelerate AAM deployment and certification pathways across the Asia-Pacific region.
ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar reinforced the organization’s commitment to regional growth, stating that ICAO will continue promoting air transport connectivity and liberalization to support economic integration and sustainable development as these new technologies come online.
AirPro News analysis
The adoption of a formalized monitoring framework at the 61st DGCA conference represents a shift from aspirational goal-setting to measurable accountability in the Asia-Pacific region. We view the explicit inclusion of AAM regulatory sandboxes as a critical step for the region, which is rapidly becoming a primary testing ground for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) operations. By aligning these emerging technologies with established ICAO safety and sustainability targets, regional regulators are attempting to prevent a fragmented airspace environment as new entrants scale up operations. The next major review of these commitments is scheduled for the 62nd DGCA Conference in Laos in 2027, which will provide the first real data on state-level compliance with the new framework.
Photo Credit: ICAO
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