The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to retire 3.5-inch magnetic floppy disks from its air traffic control network, a move Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Thursday. The agency plans to replace the legacy media with the Enterprise Information Display System, or E-IDS, across more than 400 facilities by the end of 2028.
Duffy, who has frequently cited the continued use of floppy disks as a symbol of government obsolescence, described the shift as a necessary step toward modernizing American airspace. “Good news America: floppy disks are out, 21st century tech is in,” Duffy said in a release regarding the rollout.
E-IDS replaces legacy hardware
The new system aggregates real-time weather alerts, equipment outages, restricted airspace changes, and pilot reports onto a single digital dashboard. This replaces four legacy setups that currently operate across the nation’s air traffic control facilities. The transition aims to eliminate manual workflows and the physical storage media that have become increasingly difficult to maintain.
Upgrades have already begun at five sites, including control hubs in Atlantic City, Nashville, Rochester, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City. The FAA intends to complete the rollout to all 435 facilities by the end of 2028. The initial contract for the E-IDS system was awarded to defense contractor Leidos in August 2020, during the first Trump administration. The project has since moved through procurement, safety validation, and testing phases.
Broader challenges in aviation
While the removal of floppy disks draws attention, experts note that the issue extends far beyond obsolete storage media. A Government Accountability Office report from September 2024 found that 90 percent of the nation’s critical air traffic control infrastructure was due or past due for a technology refresh. Nearly half of the 138 systems surveyed were considered unsustainable or potentially unsustainable due to funding shortfalls, insufficient maintenance expertise, or a lack of spare parts.
The FAA has faced significant backlash in recent years over ground stops, runway close calls, and high-profile software meltdowns, including the 2023 NOTAM outage. Duffy has used the floppy disk issue to highlight these systemic failures, but the administration acknowledges that the problems are deeper. The agency is currently dealing with a deficit of thousands of certified professional controllers and has lobbied Congress for an additional $30 billion on top of the $12.5 billion down payment received in 2025 for its air traffic control modernization plan.
Under Duffy, the Department of Transportation has attempted to address the staffing crisis by recruiting gamers for controller roles. The administration is also relying on tech allies, including Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, to assist with the modernization effort, even as the scope of the required changes remains vast.
Source: The Verge
