AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. FAA'S IMPLEMENTATION OF MODERNIZATION PROJECTS IN THE FIELD

The General Accounting Office (GAO), in further response to the House Committee on Appropriations, monitored the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) progress in implementing the National Airspace System (NAS) plan. The NAS plan is the largest segment of the agency's air traffic control (ATC) modernization program. The report provided the Congress with an overview of GAO's work on the status and progress of the NAS plan. Based upon GAO's review of nine projects in five of FAA's nine regions, GAO found that headquarters plans inadequately defined requirements and time frames for what regions were supposed to do, and facility designs to accommodate the new equipment in some cases were not ready. Because equipment deliveries were often delayed, lagging site preparation has had little adverse effect on implementation to date. However, without sufficient design and preparation guidance, regions could be unprepared for equipment installation if future deliveries are on time. In GAO's opinion, tasks and staffing requirements needed to complete implementation were not accurately defined. Unless these problems are corrected, FAA cannot assure the Congress either that established implementation milestones can be met, or that staffing levels are adequate to meet such milestones.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives.
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. General Accounting Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 1989-6

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air traffic control; Construction management; Equipment; Equipment replacement; Installation; Management; Planning; Scheduling; Transportation departments
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Department of Transportation; U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Equipment management
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Construction; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00605479
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO/RCED-89-92
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1991 12:00AM