Officials Weighing Costs of US Flight Control System Overhaul

This blog post was updated on October 18, 2018.

Government and airline officials are weighing the costs of overhauling the United States’ flight control system.

 

A proposed plan would replace 50-year-old radar technology with a state-of-the-art GPS tracking system that would allow planes to fly closer together and increase the frequency of take-offs and landings.

 

The new system could potentially save airlines millions in fuel costs and significantly decrease pollution.

 

However, the monumental costs of implementing such a system (especially in a battered economy) could prevent it from getting off the ground.

 

Officials estimate that the government and airline industry would need to invest between $29 billion and $42 billion for equipment, software, and training by the year 2025.

 

Source: Detroit Free Press