Modernizing FAA Air Traffic Control Systems in Atlanta for Next-Gen Air Traffic Systems by Rudy Tossel

Outdated Systems & Modernization Opportunities in Atlanta

So I recently listened to PGIM's The Outthinking Investor, a great podcast if you haven't heard of it, on the Balancing Growth, Costs, and Geopolitics in Airlines. It talks in short about the constant evolution and adapting of the airline industry as it relates to regulatory changes, competition and, more importantly, technological innovation. And so I got to thinking... pun very intended... about Atlanta's role in all of this.

So began the deep dive into the rabbit hole that is, not Atlanta's airports - the accrued value of the world's busiest and most traveled airport does NOT need to be supported nor is what is being recanted here - but rather where Atlanta is in terms of having a truly solidified data infrastructure capable of supporting the massive influx of travelers, communications and plane take offs that are tracked and reported daily, minute on the minute. Literally. 

With Atlanta's 2700 flights a day and only 1440 minutes in a day, it literally becomes a race against time when tracking every flight that touches and leaves the tarmac. 

My findings: Wow is there a lot of room for improvement.

Atlanta’s air traffic control facilities, like the much beloved Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s tower and the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center, still rely on legacy systems and practices that are frankly overdue for digital transformation. 

Let's go over some key examples:

Flight Progress Strips

Controllers at Atlanta’s tower and TRACON still use handwritten paper strips to track flights, a practice that goes back to the 1930's. Here's my take: This manual system is highly inefficient and error-prone compared to modern digital alternatives. Now the good news? There is an ongoing effort to replace this beyond-legacy system with something a bit more modern. The FAA is rolling out the Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program to replace paper strips with Electronic Flight Strips nationwide and Atlanta is slated to receive electronic flight strip displays as part of TFDM, not to mention that they do not simply use paper strips to track critical flight information, there is already an auxiliary, digital component to this process. But completely getting off this system and shifting to being fully digital without any manual intervention won't happen until April 2026. And it only took us 100 years to get to this point. However, I'm hopeful that this will be the starting gun to enabling real-time updates and automated alerts (e.g. closed-runway warnings) for controllers, greatly improving the speed at which Airpot Tower Controllers handle their data and workflows.

Aging Communications Infrastructure 

Like many FAA sites, Atlanta’s ATC facilities amazingly still rely on aging copper-wire telecommunications networks. So, why is this important? Well for starters, these legacy networks are vulnerable to outages. The January 2023 NOTAM system failure, which I'm sure a lot of us remember -- and if you don't, the US Department of Transportation has a wonderful post-mortem available here. Side note, the post mortem reads very casually, like a meeting with long-time team members who've been working together for years, but need to touch base on an oversight at the request of their superiors. But it is indicative of a much needed heightened sense of urgency behind the matter and highlights many of the potential downsides of not taking the topic seriously. 

All in all, the current infrastructure at Atlanta's Towers cannot support modern data needs. Upgrading to fiber-optic and satellite-based communications is a major opportunity here. In fact, the FAA is testing SpaceX Starlink satellite links as a “long-term infrastructure upgrade” to augment or replace legacy telecom systems. So if you're in Alaska, Oklahoma City, or Atlantic City, lucky you.

But modernizing the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure in Atlanta, potentially via the upcoming FTI-2/Enterprise Network contract, does aim to improve reliability and bandwidth for data exchange. We'll touch a bit more on that later.

Surface Management and Workflow Automation

Hartsfield-Jackson’s ramp and taxi operations are extremely complex, yet ground traffic management tools are still limited. Controllers often rely on the experience that they've garnered over years of handling the process, and ad-hoc coordination to meter departures. To solve this, the TFDM Surface Management function aims to introduce decision-support tools for managing airport surface traffic and departure queues.

Atlanta stands to benefit A LOT from surface metering software as part of TFDM that can optimize push-back times and taxi or runway traffic sequences to reduce congestion and fuel burn. This is a key modernization area: moving from manual, tactical control to data-driven automation on the airport surface. Notably, the FAA/NASA have demonstrated such tools in other hubs, and Atlanta’s implementation will be pivotal in improving workflow efficiency at the world’s busiest airport AND Atlanta's largest employer.

But here's a thought, shared by one of the controllers themselves: He says the controllers’ technology - like air traffic control facilities across the country - “is lacking [...] Does it work? Yes, it works. But there are new technologies out there.”

(Source https://www.ajc.com/business/2025/06/understaffed-tired-but-middle-of-the-pack-inside-atlantas-air-traffic-control-tower)

So in summary, the largest opportunities for digital transformation here not only include replacing paper-based processes with real-time digital systems, but also upgrading the far outdated communications networks, and introducing modern data integration and automation tools for both en-route center operations and tower/surface operations.

Easy enough, right? Maybe.

Active FAA Modernization Contracts (Atlanta-Focused) - Rallying The Troops

With the high levels of capital investments that are taking place through programs like the ATLNext program, the plan to modernize Atlnata's airport and enhance public transportation access, may be sooner than we think.

Thanks to a combination of light research and some heavy lifting by ChatGPT - an algorithmic oracle masquerading as a chatbot - I've surfaced a cascade of FAA programs and active solicitations aimed at modernizing the nation’s aging air traffic control infrastructure. The takeaway? Hartsfield-Jackson is in the early innings of a quiet but consequential overhaul.

Sidebar: This piece is not AI-free. Nor should it be. Intelligence - synthetic or not - is now embedded in the gears of aviation reform. Ignore it at your peril.

Back to our flight path.

So where exactly do we find the opportunities for improvement here, from a monetary standpoint?

And by that I mean: how can businesses and corporations in this interconnected, symbiotic network of capitalistic entities come together to solve the 100 year old problems that we now find and constantly face at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s. Well there are a few ways. Here's what ChatGPT shared (fact checked and corrected of course):

• Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) Deployment: The TFDM program – which includes electronic flight strips and surface management – is under a major FAA contract awarded to Leidos (prime) with Saab Sensis (sub). Valued around $477 million, this contract (awarded in 2016) covers development and implementation of TFDM across 89 airports. Atlanta (ATL) is one of the primary sites and is scheduled to go live with TFDM by April 2026. This deployment will require software integration, controller training, and support services – areas where consulting expertise may be needed. (Leidos and Saab are key industry partners for potential subcontracting or teaming opportunities on TFDM in Atlanta.)

• “Brand New Air Traffic Control System” RFI (2025): In June 2025 the FAA issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled “Brand New Air Traffic Control System” (Notice ID 693KA7BNATCS) seeking industry input on a broad overhaul of ATC technology. This active RFI (due June 23, 2025) indicates the FAA’s interest in innovative ideas for replacing or modernizing aging systems in the National Airspace System. While not Atlanta-specific, any future system-wide modernization contract emerging from this effort would certainly encompass Atlanta ARTCC and ATL tower/TRACON upgrades. (It’s essentially an early-market research phase for the next generation of ATC systems, which a consultant may monitor and contribute to.)

• FAA Cloud Services RFI (2024): The FAA has been exploring cloud-based solutions for its operational systems. For example, an FAA RFI in late 2024 (Solicitation #692M15-25-R-00009) sought providers of cloud services to support FAA’s operational mission. This suggests upcoming contracts to migrate legacy applications and data (potentially traffic data repositories, weather data systems, etc.) to secure cloud platforms. Such efforts would impact data modernization at facilities like Atlanta ARTCC by providing more scalable and resilient infrastructure. A consultant with cloud expertise could position for these opportunities (likely through vehicles like FAA’s eFAST or direct contracts).

• Infrastructure Funding for ATC Upgrades: The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $5 billion for FAA air traffic facilities, and about $1 billion was announced in 2022 for repairing/replacing key equipment (power systems, navigational aids, radar, etc.). This includes modernizing backbone systems in centers and towers. Additionally, pending legislation in 2025 proposes $2.0B for ARTCC technology refresh, $2.64B for tower/TRACON facilities, $3.0B for new radars, and $4.75B for telecommunications upgrades, among other investments. Atlanta’s en-route center and airport tower would be beneficiaries of these nationwide upgrade programs. Many of these funds will be released via contract opportunities on SAM.gov – for instance, procurements for new surveillance systems, network equipment, and facility IT upgrades in the Atlanta region. (A recent example in Atlanta is an IIJA-funded project to modernize parts of the Atlanta ARTCC facility infrastructure, though primarily building-focused.)

• NOTAM System Modernization Contract: While not Atlanta-specific, it’s noteworthy that FAA in 2021 awarded CGI Federal a contract (up to $186M) to modernize the Notice to Air Missions system. The new NOTAM system (planned for late 2025 deployment) will be a cloud-based platform for disseminating safety notices, replacing the antiquated system that caused a nationwide outage in Jan 2023. This effort underscores FAA’s broader digital transformation push (near-real-time data exchange, API-driven services)  which will benefit all facilities including Atlanta. For a data modernization consultant, such efforts indicate potential subcontracting opportunities (CGI and its partners might seek specialized data integration support) and alignment with FAA’s emphasis on cloud and data accessibility.

• FTI-2 / Enterprise Network Services Contract:In March 2023, the FAA awarded the $2.4 billion FTI-2 contract—also known as the Enterprise Network Services (FENS) program—to Verizon Public Sector. This 15-year contract will overhaul the FAA’s legacy telecom infrastructure, enabling secure, high-speed, and resilient communications across more than 4,600 FAA sites. For Atlanta’s tower and ARTCC, FTI-2 is foundational: it supports real-time data exchange for TFDM and SWIM, cloud-based NOTAM systems, and future AI-driven coordination tools. Verizon's delivery team includes firms like Frequentis and Saab, focused on mission-critical voice and integration capabilities. This contract presents long-term opportunities for consultants in areas like cybersecurity, systems integration, and aviation network resiliency.

It's also worth noting here that there is a grand total of $2.266B -- with a B -- earmarked and allocated for the 2025-2026 cycle relevant to Atlanta's Airline infrastructure modernization. And as we all know, budget expenditures very typically overrun its intended fiscal bounds. Meaning that number can and possibly will skyrocket by the end of the upcoming yearly cycle.

This total encompasses a range of investments - operational funding, infrastructure projects, runway rebuilds, and federal grants - impacting ATL and the broader Georgia aviation system through the fiscal year  2025–2026 period.

An Airlines aircraft parked at the gate with an Airport control tower in the background, under clear skies.

Potential Technical Solutions for Modernizing Atlanta's ATC Systems

Let’s dispense with the aperitifs. Here’s the main course.

As air traffic volume and complexity surge - particularly at mega-hubs like Hartsfield-Jackson - the systems tasked with managing that flow are being pushed to the brink. Legacy infrastructure isn’t just inefficient; it’s becoming a liability.

What’s needed isn’t incrementalism. It’s a generational leap: The opportunity now is to lead a shift toward connected, intelligent, and resilient systems that enable better decisions, faster responses, and safer skies.

And how do we do that? I'm glad you asked.

From a data consultant’s lens, Atlanta’s modernization story can be told through four transformational pillars: real-time data integration, cloud-native infrastructure, intuitive interfaces, and intelligent automation. Together, they form the chassis of next-gen air traffic systems: one that reduces friction on the tarmac and confusion in the tower. This is how you manage traffic—not just at scale, but with precision. Ground to sky, byte to runway.

1. Real-Time Data Integration: Breaking Silos Across the NAS

In today’s operational landscape, air traffic control facilities - including towers, TRACONs, and ARTCCs - often operate with fragmented data. Critical information such as flight amendments, surface radar, gate assignments etc. can live in isolated systems, requiring manual coordination that slows decision-making.

The FAA’s System Wide Information Management (SWIM) network is changing that. SWIM enables disparate systems to communicate seamlessly, giving every stakeholder - from airport operations to airline dispatch centers - access to the same, real-time information. 

When deployed fully at ATL, SWIM-backed electronic flight strip displays will automatically sync key flight data, offering a shared digital picture of every aircraft’s status. If a ground delay program is triggered, the tower, the ARTCC, and airlines are instantly notified, prompting coordinated rescheduling without a single phone call. This is what operational alignment should look like in 2025.

2. Cloud-Native Infrastructure: Scalability and Resilience at the Core

The FAA’s move to cloud-based systems, including the rebuilding of its NOTAM platform, signals a broader shift toward infrastructure that is scalable, resilient, and geographically agnostic. What does this mean in practical terms? Decoupling from an in-house server-based system allows for seamless coupling of data no matter where in the world an Air Route Traffic Control Center is located. And out of the 22 ARTCCs found across the country, it stands to reason that there is also one situated right here in Atlanta. The advantages are clear: cloud environments allow for always-on data access, flexible compute for high-volume analytics, and finally robust disaster recovery plans - particularly vital for airports like ATL where even a short outage can ripple across the national airspace.

For Atlanta’s en-route and terminal operations, migrating systems like flight plan databases or surveillance feeds to the cloud could open the door to real-time dashboards, cross-agency collaboration, and analytics pipelines that would be impossible with legacy on-premises servers. FAA’s recent RFIs make it clear: cloud modernization is a priority, and solutions that support hybrid or full-cloud architectures will be welcomed.

3. Digital Dashboards: From Paper to Smart, Visual Workflows

If you’ve ever seen a controller manually shuffle through paper flight strips, it’s immediately clear how much room there is for improvement. At ATL’s tower, that reality is soon changing, with the rollout of electronic flight strips on touchscreens - offering configurable views, searchable fields, and intelligent flagging of flights needing attention.

But the shift doesn’t stop there. For traffic flow managers at Atlanta Center, graphical dashboards can replace the text-heavy screens still in use. 

Visual timelines, heatmaps of airspace congestion, live radar overlays, and real-time weather updates can all be combined into a single operational pane of glass. These user-centered interfaces not only improve situational awareness but they also reduce the mental load on already stretched human operators. Good enterprise UX is an absolutely integral part of creating systems primarily because, at the end of the day, those systems are operated either in part of fully by human personnel. So yeah - this one's a must, not a maybe. 

4. Automation and AI: Decision Support for Next-Gen Air Traffic Systems

Finally, the topic du-jour - AI. Atlanta’s surface and airspace operations generate a firehose of data. With billions of position updates per day, coordination and system logs and recorded audio and verification data, this number can easily reach into tens of gigabytes being generated every single day. 

Tapping into that data with intelligent systems offers a whole lot of potential. Tools like surface decision-support algorithms - already part of the FAA’s TFDM deployment - can recommend pushback times to minimize congestion. Enhancements to Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM), a foundational decision support tool for time‐based management in the en route and terminal environments, can auto-sequence arrivals and departures to help maximize throughput.

But the next leap forward lies in AI-driven analytics: predictive tools that analyze historical traffic, weather, and routing to suggest proactive adjustments before a bottleneck emerges. These systems can help controllers and supervisors at ATL anticipate challenges, not just react to them.

Imagine the following scenario: a flight scheduled to depart ATL receives a reroute due to convective weather. The system flags the reroute on the controller’s dashboard, updates departure sequencing automatically, and notifies the TRACON and ARTCC - and again, all without a single call. This is automation that will empower, not replace, the human that is in the loop, in real time.

Conclusion: A Blueprint for FAA Modernization in Atlanta

Wrapping things up, modernizing Atlanta’s air traffic operations isn’t about flashy technology - it’s about enabling better outcomes for controllers, airlines, and passengers. Through data integration, cloud-native systems, intuitive dashboards, and AI-powered decision support, the four pillars we spoke about earlier, we can build an air traffic control system that meets the demands of tomorrow’s flights, and probably even more importantly, it's travelers.

For consultants, integrators, contractors, tech organizations, corporations, students, researchers, the list goes on - the time to get involved is now. Atlanta is not just a high-volume airport city - it’s a proving ground for the FAA’s NextGen ambitions. The transformation is already happening. The question now is: who will help lead it?

This article was written by Rudy Tossel

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