Modernizing ATC Without Leaving Airports Behind

The recent announcement by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford that Peraton will serve as the prime integrator for a next-generation air traffic control (ATC) system marks a decisive moment for U.S. aviation.  

It signaled a once-in-a-generation reset of how the National Airspace System (NAS) will be managed and how every community in America will connect to it, with a commitment to deploy the new system by 2028.

Recent system strains, including outages and staffing-related delays, underscore that modernization is unquestionably needed. The more pressing question is whether the nation can modernize ATC in a way that strengthens, rather than unintentionally limits, access to airports that are essential to general aviation and the communities they serve.

A national turning point for modernization

Under the new approach, Peraton will guide the transition from aging infrastructure to fiber-optic, satellite and wireless technologies; modernize radar and communications systems; and develop digital capabilities to support both existing and emerging airspace users. It will function as the central coordinator for the entire modernization effort — managing system design, deployment, testing and long-term integration across multiple facilities and technologies.

The contract itself is structured with performance incentives and accountability measures intended to keep the initiative on schedule and aligned with the FAA’s public oversight framework. This model reflects a shift toward a more disciplined, outcomes-based approach to national infrastructure upgrades.

Why airport access must remain a priority

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and other trade organizations strongly support modernization within the FAA framework and emphasize that these improvements must occur under federal stewardship to maintain transparency, accountability and equitable service.

One of the most valuable public benefits of the NAS is airport access. It supports medical flights into rural communities, reinforces the business aviation sector that connects mid-sized cities to global commerce, sustains the pilot workforce through training operations and anchors thousands of small aviation businesses that fuel local economies.

Industry leaders have repeatedly cautioned that modernization choices — including facility consolidation or new cost-recovery structures — could disproportionately impact smaller airports and aviation businesses if not guided by clear principles of fairness and transparency.

Recent FAA staffing-related operating limits at multiple facilities show how system pressures can become access limitations. Any modernization strategy must protect the availability, reliability and affordability of services for all users.

Why modernization must not become privatization

The concern among industry stakeholder groups that ATC modernization must not open the door to privatization is straightforward.  Shifting ATC governance to a private or corporate entity would ultimately introduce uncertainty, reduce public accountability and threaten equitable access for operators who depend on a stable and impartial system.

The Modern Skies Coalition — a partnership of more than 50 aviation organizations representing airlines, airports, business and general aviation, labor and manufacturers — has outlined several significant risks associated with privatizing ATC services.

Coalition members warn that shifting decision-making outside the federal oversight structure could erode the transparency that underpins public trust. They also caution that a privatized model could introduce new cost burdens for operators least able to absorb additional fees, while reducing the level of service traditionally provided to non-hub, rural and general aviation airports. Such changes would also make long-term planning more difficult for the small aviation businesses and airport partners who depend on predictable, stable system governance.

Collectively, these concerns reflect a unified industry view: modernization must strengthen the existing public framework, not replace it. Technical progress and public stewardship must advance together to preserve the equity and access that define the NAS.

The federal government’s selection of Peraton reinforces this principle. It demonstrates that ambitious technology upgrades can proceed within the FAA’s existing structure, maintaining the transparency and nationwide accessibility that remain essential to the NAS.

Key issues to watch

As modernization moves forward, airports and aviation businesses should stay engaged on four priority fronts:

1. Transparent governance

Stakeholder participation must include general aviation, small airports and rural communities — not just large metro hubs or major air carriers.

2. Funding stability and cost impacts

Modernization should not become a justification for shifting or expanding user fees that could disproportionately affect general aviation. Long-term FAA funding, not operator surcharges, must remain the foundation of modernization efforts.

3. Facility alignment and service levels

Any consolidation, relocation or service-level adjustments must be evaluated for their impacts on smaller airports. Efficiency gains should not come at the expense of access or operational reliability.

4. Integration of new entrants

Advanced air mobility, commercial space operations and uncrewed aircraft will require modern ATC capabilities. Integration strategies must add capacity without restricting traditional aviation users.

A future built on access, equity and oversight

Finally, modernizing the nation’s air traffic system is not simply a technical upgrade — it’s a structural choice about the kind of airspace and airport network the country will rely on for decades to come. The decisions made in the next several years will shape the aviation landscape for generations.

A future defined by rapidly evolving technologies requires an ATC system capable of supporting new forms of flight while sustaining the operations that already keep communities connected.

That balance will only be achieved if modernization enhances, rather than erodes, the system’s core public obligations. The key concern is not how quickly new capabilities can be deployed, but whether those capabilities reinforce a framework that treats every airport as an essential part of the national network. When modernization is anchored in transparency, fairness and federal oversight, it becomes a catalyst for strengthening—not stratifying—access.