Ambitious plans are afoot to field a new “NextGen” air traffic control system over the next couple of decades, but the system is costly, and no one (at least not yet) seems to know exactly where the money will come from.
The NextGen system currently under works could cost as much as $22 billion by 2025, but according to the Federal Aviation Administration, the system could “redefine how we manage our national airspace system (NAS).”
The national airspace encompasses “Virtually everything that has anything to do with air transportation,” says the agency.
The FAA contends that despite the current economic downturn and the fact airlines have grounded hundreds of airplanes (thus removing them from the airspace), “delays repeatedly impact passenger travel.” Add to that the fact that “forecasts of future demand remain high.”
Here’s what the NextGen transition would mean:
— Transition from ground-based radar to satellite-based navigation and aircraft surveillance;
— Transition from ground-to-air voice communication to digital data exchange.
— Moving from what FAA terms “a disparate and fragmented” way of disseminating weather forecasts “to a system that uses a single, authoritative source;”
— Moving to a system where flight operations could continue at a decent pace, even when there’s bad weather, limited visibility or “difficult terrain”, such as nearby mountains.
Even assuming funding, FAA says NextGen won’t happen all at once. The report envisions that “over the next decade, we will continue a series of coordinated upgrades to the current ground infrastructure and aircraft systems.” The resulting system, claims the agency, “will be fully scalable, networked, and fully digital.”
The impact on flyers? FAA says airports will be safer, delays fewer, and the environment less impacted.
As particular pieces of this sweeping puzzle are put in place, Cheapflights Flight News will let you know what’s happening, where, and how it affects your travels.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
