Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced late Sunday that employees of Elon Musk’s SpaceX will head to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia on Monday as part of the Trump administration’s promise to make “rapid safety upgrades” to the nation’s aviation systems.
Exploring Aviation Safety
In a post on X — another of Musk’s companies — Duffy said a team from SpaceX will “get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”
Scrutiny of air traffic control has escalated after last month’s crash of a passenger jet and Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people and represented the United States’ worst aviation disaster in more than two decades. But the FAA is also among the many agencies that are under strain because of Musk’s separate effort to find hundreds of billions of dollars in cost-savings across the federal government, including through resignations and layoffs of employees.
The Role of FAA’s Warrenton Facility
The Warrenton, Virginia, facility is considered a “nerve center” for the FAA, dictating plans for air traffic, space launches, and monitoring for weather, among other crucial roles. Monday’s visit comes despite a history of friction between the agency and the private space company, including fines that the FAA has levied against SpaceX as well as Musk’s call last year for then-FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to resign (Whitaker subsequently stepped down, effective Inauguration Day).
Promoting Innovation and Safety
Duffy added that the task of revamping the system will require “the brightest minds in America” that may include “any high-tech American developer or company that is willing to give back to our country.” President Donald Trump previously said he envisioned two or three companies overseeing the infrastructure, instead of the dozens that have been incorporated over the years working together to keep various systems afloat, and had tasked Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team to get to the bottom of it.
Duffy said such visits by outside companies are routine — though, he predicted, members of the news media “and Hillary Clinton” would contend that Musk’s team is getting special access. (Duffy has sparred with Clinton on X about DOGE’s cost-cutting.)
Fostering Education and Growth
Duffy said he will also visit the FAA’s air traffic controller academy this week in Oklahoma to talk with instructors and students “to learn more about their education and how we can ensure that only the very best guide our aircrafts.”
Airlines and aviation industry groups have called for more air traffic controllers to join the ranks to address nationwide staff shortages caused by effects from the Covid pandemic and other factors.
