Upgrade NY's air traffic control system, keep TRACON on LI

The Federal Aviation Administration’s decision last year to move some air traffic controllers from Westbury to Philadelphia came with complications and consequences, from the impact on Long Island workers forced to move to more severe implications for the safety of air travel.

So the FAA inspector general audit now underway, which focuses on that move, is welcome and warranted.

But the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy need to do more.

The Westbury Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, or TRACON, which still covers operations at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, remains a critical component of the system. Only the personnel responsible for Newark traffic were moved to Philadelphia last year, but they still had to attempt to connect with Westbury’s antiquated and inadequate equipment, an effort that created an extraordinary safety risk for air travelers.

But even if Newark employees returned to Westbury, problems remain.

New York’s TRACON deserves a modern, upgraded facility — one that can meet the challenge of handling three of the nation’s busiest airports. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided $12.5 billion for FAA-related upgrades, and Duffy has since sought another $19 billion to complete his goals. Funding must be allocated to upgrading New York’s system. The FAA would be wise to keep the New York TRACON on Long Island. A new facility, perhaps at Calverton or another location, where the Island’s equipment and trained personnel can best be integrated into one location, would be preferable.

Duffy and the FAA also must concentrate on one of the New York TRACON’s most worrisome shortcomings: training. A recent Washington Post analysis found the Westbury facility had the lowest trainee certification success rate of any operation nationwide. Just 31.4% of all trainees successfully complete the program at New York TRACON. Compare that with the Potomac TRACON, which covers the Washington, D.C., area and has an 87.5% success rate. The issue is not just the complexity of the airspace. The problem is a deeper one that’s more difficult to fix, involving the facility’s culture and the personnel involved, in addition to the aging equipment.

The solution, too, is complex. What’s clear, from the data and from the air traffic controllers themselves, is that a massive overhaul is necessary. In addition to modernizing the facility, increasing financial incentives, both for trainers and trainees, could help. And it’d be wise to look to efforts like the new Vaughn College aviation training program in Queens, along with how other busy TRACONs operate, as models for best practices.

Getting all of this done will require coordination and a constant spotlight, from the DOT and FAA, and from Long Island’s congressional delegation. Area representatives last year tried to stop the move of some employees from the Westbury TRACON to Philadelphia. A renewed bipartisan effort is now required to make the necessary changes a reality.

With the right attention, upgrades and culture shifts, Long Island’s air traffic control operations can really take off — and help the nation fly safely.