U.S. travel leaders are encouraged by President Donald Trump's latest comments about coming together with Congress to revamp the nation's air traffic control system.
Just one week after a deadly mid-air collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft, Trump said he's "going to be speaking to John (Thune), Mike (Johnson) and Chuck (Schumer) and to everybody" to "do a great computerized system for our control towers, brand new."
"We have to get together and just as a single bill just pass, where we get the best control system," he added while on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
"So we're gonna have the best system and a lot of money, but it's not that much money, and it'll happen fast and it'll be done by total professionals. When it's done, you're not going to have accidents. They're virtually not possible to have."
Meanwhile, Trump's newly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has promised to develop a plan to fix the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and ensure that the U.S. has the most innovative, technologically advanced air traffic control system.
It's not clear how much it could cost or how long it could take to roll out an upgraded air traffic control system but it will likely involve tech billionaire Elon Musk, head of Trump's newly-created Department of Government Efficiency task force, who said this week that his DOGE team will work to make "rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system."
The U.S. Travel Association praised Trump's call for Congress to work with his administration to upgrade the U.S. air traffic control system.
"We are encouraged by the focus and leadership of President Trump and Secretary Duffy on addressing longstanding challenges in America’s air traffic control system," U.S. Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement on Thursday.
"The travel industry has repeatedly called for greater investments in technology and manpower to build a world-class aviation experience. We are eager to work with the president to build the system Americans deserve, one that can ensure their safety and keep up with a surging demand in air travel."
The nation's air traffic control system has been in the spotlight in recent years amid a series of concerning near-miss incidents and troubling reports detailing staffing shortages at the majority of towers across the country and some burnt-out workers consuming drugs and alcohol on the job to manage the long hours.
Last month's deadly collision marked the first fatal crash involving a U.S. plane since 2009.
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