Flaws Seen in New Air Traffic Control System

A technicians’ union wants to delay the 1999 unveiling of a $1-billion air traffic control system, saying it will jeopardize flight safety, a newspaper reported Saturday.

The Professional Airways Systems Specialists said the new system lacks the alarms and monitoring features to give warnings when it is beginning to fail, according to the New York Times.

The existing system sounds alarms if there is a glitch that drops an airplane from a controller’s screen. The union said the new system doesn’t do that; a controller has to keep constant watch.

The system is scheduled to debut next March at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, with later installations likely in New York and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Federal Aviation Administration officials acknowledged shortcomings with the new system but said the current system is falling apart and must be replaced.

They insisted that the new system can be used safely. Monte Belger, a deputy FAA administrator, said all problems may not be addressed by March.

The union and the FAA are also not sure the system will function properly when the calendar rolls over in 2000. The FAA has ordered Raytheon, the manufacturer, to test whether the millennium problem will hamper the system.