Washington, Nov 15 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed the Biden administration for the condition of the country’s air traffic control system and urged Congress to fund an overhaul, two days after a communications failure forced a nationwide halt to departures.
Trump’s demand came as airlines worked through the disruption and Democrats questioned how his administration had used money already approved for aviation upgrades. The Federal Aviation Administration has not established the root cause of Friday’s failure.
“The Biden Administration was an FAA disaster,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, accusing his predecessor’s administration of wasting money and leaving the system in worse condition.
In a second post, he said improvements should be completed together rather than through incremental work.
“We have already started the work, but it should be done all at once, not in drips and drabs. Congress must approve,” he wrote.
The disruption prompted Air India to warn passengers of possible consequences for flights to and from the United States. Its advisory urged travellers to check their flight status before heading to airports. The warning did not identify specific cancellations.
The FAA said excessive data flooded its telecommunications network, destabilising aircraft communications and radar feeds. Its preliminary investigation identified two potential sources: a radio communications site in El Dorado, Arkansas, and a radar site in Amarillo, Texas.
Network provider L3Harris had been working at the Arkansas site, including installing a new router. The FAA said the network stabilised after the two locations were isolated. Similar broadcasting functions were disabled on other routers as a precaution.
The agency said it had found no indication of a cyberattack. About 3,500 aircraft already airborne landed safely, and air traffic resumed at 8:15 p.m. EST on Friday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that airlines should return to normal operations by Monday. He also confirmed he was seeking $50 billion and argued that existing appropriations did not cover the new telecommunications architecture and software he wanted.
Democrats challenged the case for additional funding.
Representatives Rick Larsen and André Carson, the senior Democrats on the House transportation committee and its aviation subcommittee, said the administration had obligated $4.3 billion of the $12.5 billion Congress approved for air traffic control improvements but spent only $1 billion.
They said FAA and transportation officials would brief committee staff Monday on the administration’s earlier request for an additional $30 billion. They also sought answers from FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford at a hearing planned for early December.
The lawmakers said oversight of the administration’s air traffic control overhaul would be a priority when Democrats take control of the committee.
The administration-backed Modern Skies Act, introduced by Republican Senator Eric Schmitt in September, proposes approximately $30 billion for aviation improvements. His office says the package includes air traffic control technology, airport towers and terminals, and a programme to rebuild ageing terminals at up to three medium-sized hub airports.
–IANS
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