Elon Musk has ‘access to the best technological people, the best engineers in the world,’ Sean Duffy said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Feb. 5 that Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team at the U.S. DOGE Service would soon hone in on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control system.
“Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system,” Duffy wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
Big News – Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 5, 2025
Duffy did not explain how Musk would be upgrading the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) aviation system. The agency did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Shortly before his post, Duffy spoke at a conference of state transportation department officials about his plans for the FAA. He mentioned speaking with Musk on Feb. 4 and called the SpaceX and Tesla CEO a “pretty remarkable guy” who has “access to the best technological people, the best engineers in the world.”
“We’re gonna remake our airspace,” Duffy said. “And we’re gonna do it quickly, and we have the support of the Congress, I think right now … we’re using like 1960s, World War II technology in much of the components of the airspace. We’re gonna upgrade it.”
Much of the equipment used by air traffic control is antiquated, including its radar system used for tracking planes. Efforts to implement a satellite-based air traffic control system known as NextGen throughout the United States have persisted for years, but the adoption has seen delays due to various issues, including costs.
An April 2024 report from the DOT Office of Inspector General also indicated that NextGen may be “less transformational than originally promised” once fully implemented, which will last beyond 2025.
Duffy also announced in his speech that the Transportation Department plans to surge air traffic controllers in the “next couple of days.” The secretary noted that hiring and deploying new controllers takes time, as it is not like “flippin’ a switch” to train them.
The United States has faced chronic controller shortages for decades, as there is a low retention rate during the years-long training process. The shortage began in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 striking air traffic controllers and was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic when many retired early. Controllers must also retire by age 56, further exacerbating persistent staffing issues.
By Jacob Burg
