GAO Says FAA’s Air-Traffic Overhaul Lacks the Cost and Schedule Controls It Needs
The Government Accountability Office says the FAA has made progress on its accelerated Brand New Air Traffic Control System, but the agency still lacks a reliable lifecycle cost estimate and a detailed integrated master schedule while implementation is already underway across nine of 13 phase-one programs. GAO found FAA’s $10.6 billion phase-one systems-modernization estimate omits government costs, most post-implementation operations and maintenance, and all phase-two costs, while 11,389 individual project schedules had not been integrated as of May 2026. The Transportation Department partially concurred with GAO’s recommendations, while FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says the agency is meeting or exceeding its accelerated transformation schedule and cites substantial deployment progress.
Receipt
Thousands of schedules, not one integrated plan
Finding
As of May 2026, GAO found that FAA had not integrated the 11,389 schedules for the 11,389 projects supporting 13 phase-one BNATCS programs.
Context
GAO reported that nine programs with work underway were proceeding without an integrated master schedule. The scheduling risk does not establish that any specific disruption will occur.
Number
FAA’s phase-one systems estimate
Highlighted value: $10.6B
billion U.S. dollars
FAA’s June 2026 high-level estimate for phase-one systems modernization.
- Period
- Estimate provided June 2026
- Scope
- BNATCS phase-one systems modernization; excludes facilities construction
- Precision
- Estimated
Qualification
GAO found this is not a reliable lifecycle cost estimate: it omits government costs, most post-implementation operations and maintenance, and all phase-two costs.
Sources
Topics
- FAA
- air traffic control
- modernization
- GAO
- infrastructure
- oversight