Outdated technology fails suddenly and publicly
Air traffic control issues, including delays and flight groundings, have made Newark Liberty International Airport “a beacon of serious, widespread issues in the U.S. network of aircraft communications and tracking technologies, which is decades behind the times,” Investor’s Business Daily recently reported.
The problems, which haven’t been limited to Newark, are the result of years of delayed upgrades to technology the FAA relies on daily to manage air traffic safely. Some of the FAA’s most essential systems still operate on legacy architecture, and breakdowns are occurring during heavy travel periods despite efforts to accelerate technology change now.