The Federal Aviation Administration’s ambitious Next Generation Air Transportation System, known as NextGen, was once billed as a sweeping transformation of U.S. air traffic control. Launched in 2003, the program set out to replace the nation’s radar-based system with satellite navigation, automation, and digital communications.

More than two decades and roughly $36 billion later, a growing body of oversight reports paints a different picture: a modernization effort that ran over budget, fell behind schedule, and achieved only a small share of its expected gains.

That isn’t to downplay the benefits the program has brought so far; it does have measurable benefits we enjoy today that were not always a given. Digital communications generally allow for faster and more accurate communication.

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