The transportation sector has faced unusual turbulence in early 2025. On Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s first day, the worst aviation disaster in decades shook the nation. A series of subsequent aviation accidents and a near miss that took place at Chicago Midway International Airport just last week have put the system under a larger microscope.

The Trump team has the opportunity to make some sweeping changes that are long overdue. Notably, several areas overlooked by the previous administration are ripe for reform.

First, Duffy should provide Congress with an emergency funding plan to update our nation’s air traffic control systems. These are the procedures and tools used by government employees to help airplanes navigate in and out of airports safely. Concerningly, these systems look like they should be collecting dust in museums rather than controlling modern air travel.

According to a Government Accountability Office report released in September 2024, 51 of the nation’s 138 air traffic control systems are “unsustainable.” Some of them are over a half-century old. Did you know that air traffic controllers still use paper strips to monitor airplane movement? In the age of iPhones and artificial intelligence, relying on paper to monitor jumbo jets is like watching a movie on a VCR rather than streaming it on Netflix or Hulu.

While the federal government has made attempts to address this, its efforts thus far have fallen short. For example, the government launched a modernization project in the 2000s called NextGen to help bring air traffic control into the 21st century. But the initiative, which aims to improve information sharing and navigation, among other things, has consistently failed to meet deadlines. Perhaps the Department of Government Efficiency could help it gain momentum.

And just as upgrading air traffic control infrastructure is essential, so, too, is investing in the next generation of workers who will operate these systems. The status quo is simply not working. Government data show that over 90% of airport towers are operating below recommended staffing levels, leaving controllers overworked and fatigued. In some rare cases, burnout has reportedly led to controllers falling asleep on the job.

The result? Not only do the shortages erode confidence in the safety and reliability of U.S. aviation, but they mean more headaches for the average traveler. Last holiday season, for example, airline passengers were met with hourslong delays at Newark and Austin-Bergstrom international airports because staffing shortages forced a reshuffling of flight timetables.

MUSK ASKS RETIRED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS TO COME BACK TO WORK TO ADDRESS SHORTAGE

The White House is already pursuing strategies to attract more job candidates. On Thursday, the Transportation Department announced it will increase starting salaries for air traffic controllers by 30% and streamline the hiring process from eight steps to five. The agency, backed by its nearly $150 billion budget, should continue to explore strategies to expand air traffic control training programs.

The Trump administration wasted no time switching up how Washington operates when it came to power less than two months ago. As some have put it, the president “is moving fast and breaking things.” Hopefully, Duffy can harness that momentum to address decades of government neglect of air travel.

Jackson Shedelbower is the executive director of the Center for Transportation Policy.