FAA chief says Compaq-powered ATC is safe but inefficient, modernization underway

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says the U.S. air traffic control system is safe but inefficient because 313 facilities run on 1970s/80s tech, including Compaq computers and floppy disks. The FAA plans about $12.5 billion in modernization through 2028 plus roughly $10 billion more to overhaul data architecture, move to cloud, and enable AI-driven real-time situational awareness to boost efficiency and capacity as the summer travel season approaches.