Years of stop-and-start funding and cutbacks to the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies that oversee the nation’s flight infrastructure have been a key driver of the decline of the

The current ATC system "is based on an outdated technologies that are unable to meet" modern demands, an administration statement said.

The nation's aging air traffic control system will be replaced with one that is aimed at 21st-century needs while improving safety, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday.