Schumer To Trump: Upgrade LI's Air Traffic Control Facility

President Donald Trump's proposed 2020 budget includes $7.8 billion for air traffic control operations, and Sen. Charles Schumer is demanding that Long Island's Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility be first on the list to receive funding.

Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility, or TRACON, is a Westbury-based facility that oversees some of the busiest airspace in the nation, Schumer said. It also needs upgrades, Schumer said, so that the facility is able to keep up with modern air traffic control needs.

“If the president is going to request $7.8 billion in federal dollars from Congress to improve FAA TRACON facilities, we are here today to say: Long Island’s Westbury facility needs to be first in line if the request is to fly,” said Schumer. “Reason being, improving the nation’s TRACON facilities is important, but ensuring it’s done in a way that is the most efficient is critical. Putting Long Island first in the line for these dollars would better guarantee an efficient use of federal funds, because it is this facility and this site where some of the hardest and most tedious work is done and where federal dollars can be maximized down the TRACON pipeline.”

Schumer explained that the proposed budget does not specify where the money would be spent, but that Long Island’s TRACON needs federal funding to remain fully operational, modern and protected from any future or possible cuts.

According to Schumer, NY TRACON in Westbury is one of the busiest air traffic control centers in the nation. It is responsible for guiding and monitoring air traffic coming in and out of Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia, Newark, Teterboro and dozens of other regional airports, including Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and Republic Airport in Farmingdale. However, the facility is 40 years old, and the equipment is dated, officials say.

There are about $80 million in upgrades the Long Island facility needs, Schumer said, including a new two-story building, which would be 20,000 square feet; new ATC equipment; the repurposing of old equipment and other critical advancements required to adapt the facility to present needs, which include cyber threat prevention. The Long Island TRACON facility has also proposed obtaining new computer equipment within the next five years, which would be installed in a new equipment room.

“NY TRACON has the greatest technicians and controllers in the world but they are working with outdated equipment,” said Randy Brown, local representative for the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists AFL-CIO. “In order for us to properly serve the busiest airspace in the world, the New York Metro area, our air traffic professionals need a state of the art facility to meet the current and emerging demands of the 21st century with the most up to date equipment.”