Commentary: Legislation Must Make U.S. Airspace Safer Now

Aviation is the safest mode of transportation in the world. Keeping it so depends on disciplined risk reduction and reinforcing layers of protection. U.S.  Congress took a significant step in 2025 by investing $12.5 billion to modernize America’s national air traffic control system. That investment provides a strong foundation for the broader safety work we now need Congress to address.

The January 2025 fatal midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) underscored the urgency of that work. Congress has responded with serious, bipartisan proposals to strengthen traffic awareness and collision avoidance. The airline industry supports that work and stands ready to help turn it into practical, systemwide safety improvements.

The most significant upgrades in technology would strengthen traffic awareness and collision avoidance via Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast In (ADS-B In) and Airborne Collision Avoidance System Xa (ACAS Xa). ADS-B In receives information broadcast by nearby aircraft and FAA ground system and displays traffic and airport surface activity on the flight deck. ACAS Xa uses ADS-B and other surveillance data to assess potential conflicts and tell pilots how to avoid another aircraft.

Today, no certified integrated ADS-B In solution is available for most mainline aircraft or any regional aircraft, and ACAS Xa remains under development. Manufacturers are discussing solutions, but much of the commercial fleet still lacks a certified compliance path. Systems must be engineered for each aircraft type and configuration, integrated with existing avionics, tested, certified by FAA, produced at scale, installed and supported through training.

The challenge is greater on aircraft with compact flight decks and little or no available panel space. A deadline set before certified, installable solutions are available would ground much of the commercial fleet or require broad waivers and extensions, resulting in major air service reductions, uneven implementation, and safety gaps.

The difficulty of this work should not deter immediate action. Congress must act quickly on safety improvements that can reach flight decks far sooner than integrated collision-avoidance systems, while setting firm direction and measurable milestones for advanced integrated systems. Timelines must reflect certified availability, manufacturer and supplier capacity, and the time required for safe fleet integration.

FAA-approved electronic flight bags (EFBs) are already mounted within pilots’ field of vision, and pilots are trained to use them. With appropriate standards, ADS-B In systems can be deployed through existing EFBs, displaying traffic, weather and surface information, while providing visual and aural conflict alerts.

Congress and FAA should authorize this capability as a time-limited bridge so airlines can quickly put those safety benefits to work while manufacturers develop, and FAA certifies, integrated collision-avoidance systems for each aircraft type. Putting meaningful safety protections on flight decks years before the equipment deadlines Congress is considering would be a huge win for aviation safety. It’s fast and it works.

APPLY TO ALL AIRCRAFT

Most importantly, these requirements must extend across the National Airspace System. Military, business and general aviation aircraft must be visible to other aircraft. National security needs may require narrow exceptions, but those exceptions should be limited and carefully defined. A requirement that reaches only part of the system leaves a serious safety gap. As these new requirements are implemented, FAA should also update airspace and separation standards, procedures and controller training so the safety benefits of these technologies can be fully realized.

The same vigilance must apply to airspace regardless of location or size. At smaller airports, as at larger ones, commercial aircraft share airspace with military, business and general aviation traffic. Yet smaller airports often lack situational-awareness tools or communication requirements standard elsewhere. Congress should require three measures: a risk-based FAA safety assessment of airports nationwide; inclusion of the bipartisan Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act to equip contract towers with stronger situational-awareness tools; and mandatory pilot position reports on the common traffic advisory frequency near non-towered airports where commercial airliners and other aircraft traffic operate.

Congress has serious, bipartisan proposals and a clear opportunity to strengthen safety across America. It should bring those proposals together in final legislation that delivers immediate safety gains and a clear path forward.

The work ahead will take time. The safety improvements available now should not wait.

Faye Malarkey Black is president and CEO of the Regional Airline Association in the U.S.

Christopher Sununu is president and CEO of Airlines for America (A4A) and served as governor of New Hampshire from 2017 to 2025.