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• Amy Wilder
The Government Accountability Office says vulnerabilities in national airspace communications could allow spoofing and urges the FAA to strengthen its cybersecurity posture. The agency issued nine recommendations, underscoring risks to systems that support air traffic management and the resilience of U.S. aviation infrastructure.
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The Government Accountability Office says vulnerabilities in national airspace communications could allow spoofing and urges the FAA to strengthen its cybersecurity posture. The agency issued nine recommendations, underscoring risks to systems that support air traffic management and the resilience of U.S. aviation infrastructure.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he wants Congress to approve an additional $30 billion for air traffic control towers, software and airports. The request would expand federal funding for upgrades across the U.S. aviation system, spanning both core ATC infrastructure and airport facilities.
A second NATS failure within two weeks has again disrupted UK aviation, prompting major airlines to demand action from the air navigation services provider. easyJet was the worst affected carrier, underscoring the operational and passenger impact of repeated air traffic control failures.
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The FAA has begun the initial deployment of SMART—Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories—an AI system focused on facilities in the Washington, D.C., area. The rollout proceeded without the involvement of the air traffic controllers’ union, raising questions about implementation and workforce coordination.
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French investigators are examining whether runway lighting standards and surface-movement radar use should change after an inbound Nouvelair A320 aligned with the wrong runway at night and overflew a waiting easyJet aircraft at Nice last year, creating a serious proximity event.
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The FAA has begun limited operations of its cloud-based Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes, and Trajectories platform, using roughly 200 data streams to recommend schedules and anticipate congestion and weather disruptions around Reagan National, Dulles and BWI. Initial operations are expected to expand by year-end.
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A government watchdog report cited by Sen. Ron Wyden says communications between U.S. air traffic controllers and commercial aircraft are “incredibly insecure.” The findings call on the Federal Aviation Administration to take steps to address identified threats to a core operational communications system.
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A failed FAA telecommunications circuit, severed backup fiber and a separate NATS connectivity problem disrupted air traffic across major US Northeast airports and parts of Scottish airspace. The incidents grounded or delayed inbound flights and renewed questions about the resilience and redundancy of air traffic control networks.
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