LAX Leads U.S. Air Traffic Control Modernization with New Technology, Faster Training and Digital Upgrades
Why It MattersThe overhaul signals a multi-year, system-wide push to replace aging air traffic control infrastructure across more than 4,500 sites, reshaping controller training and safety practices nationally.
A nationwide overhaul of aging U.S. air traffic control infrastructure is underway, with Los Angeles International Airport among the facilities leading efforts to introduce new technology, streamline controller training and improve aviation safety. The push follows high-profile incidents, including a January 2025 collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet that killed 67 people, and an August incident in which Marine One, carrying President Donald Trump, came within one mile of a passenger jet due to communication failures linked to White House construction.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy received a $12.5 billion down payment to modernize the nation's air traffic control infrastructure, a plan covering more than 4,500 sites that includes replacing aging telecommunications equipment with fiber or satellite technology and installing new radios. Chris Rocheleau, a former FAA administrator, said the goal is to transform the air control system, with software tools eventually making travel more efficient for the flying public.
At LAX, a high-tech air traffic control simulator has reduced controller training time by 30%, letting trainees connect simulated scenarios directly to real operations in the airport's live control tower. LAX is also among the first control towers in the country to go fully digital, with controllers managing flight data electronically instead of using paper strips. Sherry Avery, LAX's air traffic manager, said the upgrades could make operations safer and more efficient, while the FAA has adopted a more efficient hiring process that let it surpass its controller hiring goals. Rocheleau added that retaining new controllers matters as much as recruiting them, saying 21st-century talent cannot be brought into a 20th-century system, and noted the nationwide overhaul is expected to take several years to complete.
