FAA air traffic control abandons floppy disks
The gist
The FAA will replace floppy-disk-based systems at 435 air traffic control facilities by the end of 2028.
The decades-old gear has drawn scrutiny as cable cuts and outages delay flights.
How it unfolded
- 2020The FAA awarded defense contractor Leidos a roughly $292 million contract to develop the new system.
- 2023Congress approved $12.5 billion to update aging FAA technologies; an incident also temporarily halted domestic departures nationwide after someone accidentally deleted a file from the NOTAM system.
- 2024The Government Accountability Office (GAO, a government watchdog) said 51 of the agency's 138 air traffic control systems were unsustainable due to lack of parts and funding.
Key terms
- FAA
- U.S. Department of Transportation agency that regulates civil aviation, air traffic control and aircraft certification.
- NOTAM
- A notice filed with an aviation authority to alert pilots of hazards or changes affecting flight operations.
- Government Accountability Office
- A nonpartisan U.S. federal agency that audits and investigates for Congress.
Source: Wikipedia