FAA begins replacing floppy disk-based air traffic control technology
The decades-old disks stored weather information and other critical operational data used by controllers, the agency said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun replacing air traffic control information systems that still rely on floppy disks and other technology dating to the 1980s, part of a broader effort to modernize the nation's aviation infrastructure.
The FAA said the floppy disks being retired have been used for decades to store "vital weather and other critical information" used by air traffic controllers.
The agency announced Thursday that it is deploying a new platform known as the Enterprise Information Display System, or E-IDS, which consolidates operational information used by air traffic controllers into a single digital system. The FAA said the new technology will replace four legacy systems currently used at more than 400 facilities nationwide.
The floppy disks being phased out were used as part of several information-display systems that have been in service for decades.
Among the first facilities receiving the upgrades is Atlantic City International Airport, along with airports in Nashville and Rochester and data-processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
"Good news America: floppy disks are out, 21st century tech is in," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement.
According to the FAA, the new system provides controllers with faster access to weather information, airspace restrictions, equipment status updates and other operational alerts. The agency said E-IDS will also improve how pilot weather reports and Notices to Airmen are collected and distributed.
The FAA plans to install the system at 435 sites by the end of 2028.
The modernization effort is one of several upgrades underway across the national air traffic control network, according to the agency.
