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Officials say modernization of air-traffic control and towers will accompany Dulles rebuild
Summary
Officials announced a program to replace aging air-traffic control systems and towers at Dulles and nationally, citing obsolete equipment and a recent helicopter–plane incident as reasons to accelerate modernization.
During the event, the lead speaker described a parallel program to modernize air-traffic control systems and towers, calling the current system "50 years old" and saying towers have become obsolete. He cited a helicopter incident and said alarms would have alerted controllers under an upgraded system.
"We are working on air traffic control to redo the entire system, including the new towers because the towers are obsolete," the speaker said, framing the ATC work as central to improving safety. Officials said they have reviewed systems internationally and are engaging top people to design new control equipment and tower facilities.
MWAA and DOT representatives said they will coordinate operational upgrades with the airport redevelopment to reduce safety risk and limit disruption for travelers. Officials emphasized the safety justification for the ATC upgrades while offering no specific procurement or timeline details for the national ATC modernization within the event remarks.
