The Federal Aviation Administration has begun rolling out a new display system that brings critical operational information together for U.S. air traffic controllers. The agency plans to install it at 435 sites by the end of 2028.
The Transportation Department named Atlantic City International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Greater Rochester International Airport among the first five locations. The other two are data processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
The Enterprise Information Display System, or E-IDS, replaces four legacy systems dating to the 1980s, including technology that relied on floppy disks. Controllers can use the consolidated system to share flight alerts, restricted airspace schedules and pilot reports. The FAA says it will also make weather information easier to access.
The 2028 target covers the display rollout. The department described the work as one part of the wider U.S. air traffic control modernization program.
The November 5 U.S. Department of Transportation announcement includes a video explaining the upgrade.
Archive photo of controllers at Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center. The image predates the E-IDS rollout. Photo by the Federal Aviation Administration via Wikimedia Commons, U.S. public domain. Commons crop resized and compressed to WebP by Flyzeu. Photo date unknown.
