GAO: large share of FAA air-traffic systems unsustainable; lawmakers press for emergency funding and procurement fixes

WASHINGTON — Government Accountability Office testimony and industry witnesses at a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing said the nation’s air-traffic control technology is aging and, in some cases, unsustainable, and urged Congress and the FAA to expedite replacement and overhaul work.

A GAO witness said the agency’s 2023 operational risk assessment and GAO analysis found many systems either unsustainable or potentially unsustainable, and that FAA acquisitions for modernization have been slow: some investments took years to establish cost, schedule and performance baselines and then many more years to complete. "FAA plans to take, on average, almost 13 years" for several investments the GAO examined, the witness said.

Why it matters: witnesses warned that aging systems — from notams to surveillance and telecommunications backbones — create safety and capacity risks and make modernization more expensive. Several witnesses said the FAA’s facilities-and-equipment (F&E) backlog is large; stakeholders cited an annual need of about $6 billion for F&E to begin replacing legacy systems rather than spending most sustainment money keeping old equipment running.

GAO and witnesses described recurring program-management problems. "FAA took on average more than 4 years to establish cost schedule and performance baselines for these investments," the GAO testimony said, and FAA sometimes provided limited oversight prior to setting baselines. GAO recommended steps including segmenting efforts into manageable work packages, establishing baselines more quickly, and developing a detailed risk-mitigation plan. The witness said FAA generally concurred and has begun actions but that "quick and continued action is needed."

Industry witnesses echoed GAO. Airlines and trade groups urged faster procurement and use of authorities Congress already provided. An industry coalition’s letter and witnesses pointed to three near-term priorities: stabilizing the telecommunications backbone, replacing the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system, and deploying surface-awareness tools to reduce runway incursions.

Witnesses and members also discussed procurement and budgeting constraints. Several witnesses said FAA’s acquisition and procurement processes have added years to modernization projects, and that roughly 90%-plus of current F&E funding is consumed by sustaining legacy equipment, leaving little for modernization. Members suggested options for multi-year financing and emergency funding to accelerate work.

The panel agreed Congress’s 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act sets requirements that should speed modernization — for example, audits of legacy systems and accelerated replacements — but several lawmakers and witnesses said implementation will determine whether the law achieves its goals. GAO and industry witnesses urged oversight and repeatedly pressed FAA for clearer timelines and priorities.

The hearing concluded with members calling for short-term emergency funding and for the FAA to provide updated, facility- and system-level plans to Congress so lawmakers can oversee progress and evaluate budget actions.

Ending note: witnesses said some modernization projects already have demonstrable safety benefits (for example, the surface-awareness initiative), but that replacing the most critical legacy systems will require faster acquisition, steady multi-year funding and sustained oversight to avoid long delays and elevated operational risk.