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Decaying wiring and paper logs: America’s decrepit air traffic system

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) •
November 14, 2026 • 08:45 PM
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The US transport secretary is seeking $74 billion for upgrades to America’s dilapidated aviation infrastructure after thousands of flights were grounded nationwide.

Decaying wiring and paper logs: America’s decrepit air traffic system

New York | US transport secretary Sean Duffy responded to a dramatic grounding of thousands of flights by reiterating his demand to Congress for tens of billions of dollars to overhaul America’s crumbling air traffic control infrastructure.

The nationwide grounding on Friday (Saturday AEDT) halted nearly all departing flights for almost five hours due to a massive communications failure, which forced airlines to cancel nearly 10,000 flights and delay more than 7000 others in one of the worst travel days in US history.

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