Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Visits Albany to Survey $26.4 Million Air Traffic Control Investment
Why It MattersThe visit highlights a nationwide $12.5 billion push to modernize air traffic control infrastructure and expand controller training pipelines ahead of a 2028 target.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy visited the Capital Region on Monday, touring SUNY Schenectady and Albany International Airport to review air traffic control infrastructure investments. At SUNY Schenectady, Duffy toured the college's Air Traffic Control A.A.S. degree program and its ATC simulator, meeting with faculty and students training to become controllers; SUNY Schenectady President Dr. Nicole Reaves said the school is at the forefront of training the next generation of air traffic controllers, and that Duffy expressed interest in expanding the program.
Albany International Airport is receiving $26.4 million under the Trump Administration's One Big Beautiful Bill, which allocated $12.5 billion nationwide for air traffic control modernization. Investments at Albany include replacing dual copper telecommunications lines with high-speed fiber, new radios, and a Surface Awareness Initiative.
Duffy said the nationwide overhaul aims to build a new air traffic control system by the end of 2028, calling it the fastest and most transformative project in aviation, with upgrades including new radars, radios, voice switches, electronic flight strips, new monitors, and a shift from analog to digital communications once fiber is in place.
