Overview
- FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told lawmakers on Tuesday that phase one of the Brand New Air Traffic Control System now carries a $16 billion price tag, well above the $12.5 billion Congress approved last year.
- A Government Accountability Office report released the same week found the FAA has not produced a comprehensive lifecycle cost estimate or an integrated master schedule for the program, and identified more than 11,300 separate project schedules in phase one.
- The GAO also reported that the cost to upgrade telecommunications has risen from about $4.75 billion to $5.91 billion, increasing a major line-item in the program’s budget.
- Bedford said the FAA is covering the current shortfall from its facilities and equipment budget and will press Congress for at least $10 billion more to fund phase two, which is expected to fund new automation systems.
- The program has made technical progress such as replacing over 64% of copper telecom lines, converting more than 400 radio sites, and installing 101 runway surface-awareness systems, but fragmented workstreams and rising costs raise risks for schedules, agency resources, and future congressional oversight.