Agency to modernise air traffic control

Faced with fresh flight safety problems at a major US airport, the Trump administration was set to unveil a modernised air traffic control system yesterday.

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US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was scheduled to hold a news conference in Washington to announce an upgrade billed as a dramatic break from the “band-aid” fixes of past administrations.

A massive overhaul of the US air traffic control system could cost tens of billions of dollars.

Such a policy would need to win congressional approval at a time when Mr Trump's administration is also seeking deep spending cuts to finance tax cuts.

The union for air traffic controllers has complained of obsolete buildings containing radar technology that is no longer manufactured and computers with floppy disks last seen in the 20th century.