The Trump administration plans to announce a “brand new” U.S. air traffic control system “in the next couple days,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

Changes will include shifting from a copper communications infrastructure to fiber lines, as well as new radar systems and terminals for air traffic controllers, Duffy said March 19 in an interview with Fox News.

“The key to this is speed,” he said. The problems with air traffic control are known, but it takes too long to make upgrades and then the technology changes, he said, adding that Congress “has to give us all the money up front.”

The comments come after weeks of mounting scrutiny of efforts to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration’s system that manages some 45,000 flights that carry about 2.9 million passengers each day.

The FAA in February began testing Starlink satellite internet terminals from Trump adviser Elon Musk’s SpaceX in parts of the FAA’s system, Bloomberg has reported.  

Read More: Air-Traffic Control Union Analyzing Safety Impact of FAA Firings

Duffy last week separately said Verizon Communications Inc. was “not moving fast enough” on a $2.4 billion, 15-year contract to upgrade the FAA’s telecommunications network that supports the national airspace system. In February, Bloomberg News reported the FAA was considering whether to cancel the deal, though no decision had been made.

Airline Input

Duffy told Fox News on Wednesday that the FAA is learning from Southwest Airlines Co.’s overhaul of its own technology systems, including those that contributed to a late 2022 operational meltdown that led to more than 16,000 canceled flights.

Southwest Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan recently spoke with Duffy about the effort, the carrier said in a statement. Southwest said the changes have helped it recover from disruptions more quickly and that additional talks between officials from the airline and Trump administration are being planned.

Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue Airways Corp., said the airline has also met with the Transportation Department and that she’s “cautiously optimistic” that the agency can improve air traffic control. The system needs more funding from Congress, modernized equipment and increased staffing, she said during remarks at an event in Boston. JetBlue and other airlines have complained that controller shortages and tech outages lead to flight delays. 

Air traffic control legislation is “going to be big, because this is not something that you can just go to Staples and plug in a new system and call it a day,” she said. “It’s a very complex set of tools that need to be updated.”

Seeking Funding

Prior administrations have also sought additional funding to modernize the air traffic control system. The Biden administration for fiscal year 2025 requested $8 billion over five years, to replace aging facilities and upgrade radar systems. Congress, though, has yet to pass a 2025 appropriations bill for the Transportation Department. Currently there’s a stopgap measure in place to keep the government funded at roughly the current levels through September 30. 

Duffy hasn’t said exactly how much money he’ll seek for his plans. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz told reporters last week that there is interest from lawmakers to address the FAA’s modernization problems, but that he told Duffy “the answer cannot just be money alone.” 

“Shoveling cash at this problem hasn’t worked in the past, and it needs to be accompanied with real and meaningful reform,” Cruz said.