WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says the agency needs another $10 billion from Congress to reform the antiquated U.S. air traffic control system as policymakers prepare for traffic to double in the next two decades.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is moving rapidly to deploy the first $12.5 billion approved by Congress after years of neglect. “We’re behind 20 years. The system is extremely safe, but it comes at the price of inefficiency and inconvenience,” Bedford said in an interview. “Americans tolerate this hugely inefficient system… And as long as it’s safe, I think that sort of saps the will to fix it.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson)
