The FAA announced on November 5 a plan to deploy a new Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) across 435-453 facilities by the end of 2028, replacing four 1980s-era information systems that still rely on floppy disks. The platform will give controllers a single, centralized view of weather reports, flight alerts, equipment issues and airspace restrictions. Initial rollout sites include Atlantic City, Nashville and Rochester airports plus FAA data hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-11-07
The FAA announced it will roll out the Enterprise Information Display System, retiring floppy-disk-based tools used since the 1980s across more than 400 air traffic control facilities. The new system is meant to speed delivery of weather alerts (PIREPs) and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) to controllers, replacing manual paper-strip processes. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the upgrade lets controllers instantly share flight alerts and airspace restrictions.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-11-06
The FAA has begun installing a new Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) to replace four 1980s-era systems that stored weather and operational data on floppy disks across more than 400 facilities. The first upgrades went live at Atlantic City International, Nashville International, Greater Rochester International, and data hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City, with full rollout to 435 sites planned by the end of 2028.
faa.gov
· 2026-11-06
The FAA has confirmed it is phasing out floppy disk drives still used in parts of its air traffic control infrastructure, replacing them with more modern storage technology. The agency has relied on the outdated format as part of legacy systems that have remained in service for decades.
hardware.slashdot.org
· 2026-11-06
The FAA announced plans to replace floppy disk-based systems still used at more than 400 air traffic control facilities, including the 1990s-era Information Display System 4, which runs on an unsupported Microsoft platform. The agency's new Enterprise Information Display System will consolidate weather, NOTAMs, equipment status and airspace restriction data onto one platform, with rollout targeted for completion by the end of 2028. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the modernization effort on social media, and five sites, including Atlantic City International and Nashville International airports, have already made the switch.
techspot.com
· 2026-11-06
On September 17, 1991, a routine Con Edison-requested power transfer led to a rectifier trip at AT&T's 33 Thomas Street facility in Manhattan, which went unnoticed as backup batteries silently kept DC power flowing to FAA telecom lines. Hours later the batteries drained, cutting radar feeds, radios, and flight-handoff links for New York's radar center and the Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark towers simultaneously, forcing controllers onto manual backups and resulting in 1,174 flights delayed or canceled.
matthorn.io
· 2026-10-19
A visitor documented modular industrial dashboards found in several European museums, including the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Fernmeldemuseum Stuttgart, a railway museum in Nuremberg, a tram museum in Stuttgart, Warsaw's train museum, and the DASA Museum in Dortmund. The panels, used historically for air traffic control, subway and light rail monitoring, and power plant operations, feature interchangeable lit modules, counters, switches, and labeled plates built on physical component systems rather than screens.
unsung.aresluna.org
· 2026-09-30
South Africa's air traffic control systems were targeted in a cyberattack in which a ransomware toolkit was installed on at least one operational network. The country's aviation authorities are now seeking outside assistance to respond to the breach.
darkreading.com
· 2026-09-30
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation have launched a trial of a new AI system called Strategic Management of Airspace Routes and Trajectories, or SMART, at Reagan National, Dulles International and BWI Thurgood Marshall airports. The $875 million system pulls together roughly 200 data streams covering flight paths, weather and staffing to predict delays and cancellations and suggest actions to controllers, who retain final decision-making authority.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-23
Todd Sheridan Yeary, a 13-year air traffic control veteran, publicly criticized the FAA's planned AI system SMART (Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories), saying its intended use—predictive versus prescriptive—remains unclear even to aviation professionals. He said his top concern is that the AI could 'hallucinate' inaccurate data, and insisted any deployment must allow human controllers to override its outputs.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-22
A communications failure at the FAA's Philadelphia air traffic control facility knocked out radar and communications for hours on Monday, after its primary line failed and a backup fiber optic line was accidentally cut by railroad construction crews. The disruption halted flights at Newark, LaGuardia, JFK and Philadelphia airports, with over 600 Newark flights and more than 200 Philadelphia flights canceled before operations gradually resumed by evening.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-22
A construction crew in New Jersey accidentally cut a Verizon fiber cable that supports air traffic control systems, triggering a circuit failure that forced ground stops at all three major New York City airports. The disruption rippled across the Northeast, with FlightAware reporting more than 1,000 US flight cancellations on Monday. Officials are still disputing responsibility, with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit each pointing at the other's contractors while Verizon denies any fault.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-21
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