WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration unveiled plans on Tuesday for a Brand New Air Traffic Control System, or BNATCS, that would use software to prevent conflicts, delays and cancellations. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy presented the project at the Modern Skies Summit at the Department of Transportation's headquarters in Washington and urged Congress to provide additional funding to complete it.

The agency aims to replace outdated radar and radio networks and paper-based processes with modern technologies, including swapping copper wires for fiber optic cables and upgrading hundreds of radio and radar systems. The modernization project spans 10 million labor hours, involves 4,600 locations, and includes collaboration with 50 vendors. The work is on schedule to be completed by the end of President Trump's term in 2028.

Congress approved $12.5 billion last summer to begin modernizing the aviation system. Bedford said the current national airspace system is analog and described the FAA's traffic management systems as glorified calculators. He said the project could cut costs across the air travel industry.

"We will see block times go down and we will finally be able to unlock flying from New York to L.A. in less time than it takes to do it today, and that is the win: less fuel burn, less cost to actually have airplanes sit on the ground," Bedford said.

Duffy said the modernization effort might employ artificial intelligence in some cases, and that the Department of Transportation is in contact with three companies in the AI space, though they were not identified. He said the U.S. air traffic control system is safe and that the government has paid billions of dollars in recent decades toward modernization.

"We've looked within our couch cushions at the FAA to start the work, to find the money to begin this process," Duffy said. "We are going to deliver this on time, on budget."

He also said the agencies would keep the airspace safe during the overhaul. "We are going to make sure that everyone is safe," he said. "We're going to make sure that we keep the airspace safe as we do an incredible overhaul."

National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said the new technology would act as a force multiplier for the controller workforce. "When technology handles more of the routine, controllers get to handle more of the critical," Daniels said. "We stand united behind it, and we look forward to bringing the aviation system that this world deserves."

The FAA remains short-handed and plans to hire thousands more air traffic controllers, he said. The Government Accountability Office reported in January that the FAA's hiring and certifying of controllers has not kept pace with the growth of air travel. A midair collision between a regional airliner and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people last year.