American air traffic control bids farewell to floppy disk system

The FAA continues to use outdated floppy disks for critical aviation information despite their obsolescence. A new system, the Enterprise Information Display System, will replace four aging systems. The U.S. Congress allocated $12.5 billion last year for air traffic control upgrades, with an additional $30 billion requested by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The modernization plan was introduced after a tragic helicopter-passenger plane collision in January 2025 that resulted in 67 fatalities. Duffy criticized the reliance on outdated technology, including 1970s radars and 1980s computers, which are becoming increasingly inefficient and difficult to maintain.