According to a GAO report, the FAA’s air traffic control systems are outdated and will need to be updated by the 2030s.

The GAO report states that 51 of the FAA’s 138 ATC systems are unsustainable due to parts shortages, funding shortfalls, or lack of technology refresh funding. Another 54 systems are “potentially unsustainable” but have tech refresh funding available.

“FAA has 64 ongoing investments aimed at modernising 90 of the 105 unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems,” the GAO said.

However, modernisation of the most critical systems has been slow.

Seventeen systems are particularly concerned due to their critical operational impact and unsustainable status. The first of these won’t be modernised until 2030, with some not planned for completion until 2035. Four of the most critical systems have no modernisation plans.

Two systems are over 40 years old, and seven have been in service for over 30 years.

The GAO report was written after all US departures were grounded in January 2023. The FAA's Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system went offline because someone accidentally deleted some critical files.

The FAA has been saying that it needed until the 2030s to modernise the NOTAM system for ages.