Alaska Air Group has released a white paper calling for urgent modernization of the US air traffic control system . The paper argues that the national airspace system (NAS) is strained by decades-old hardware, disjointed technology, staff shortages, and procedural constraints. Without major investment, Alaska warns that airlines, travelers, and national competitiveness will suffer.

According to Alaska, many components of ATC are “well past their useful life,” and modernization efforts over the past several decades have not kept up with industry needs. Aircraft technology, route structures, and navigation capabilities have advanced far more rapidly than control towers, radar systems, and automation software. The airline group frames this not as a competitive issue, but as a national in

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