The Federal Aviation Administration plans to install a digital information platform at 435 sites by the end of 2028, combining operational updates for air traffic controllers as it modernizes aging systems.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the effort Nov. 5. The Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) will bring operational information onto a digital display. The announcement also said the modernization includes retiring floppy disks containing weather and other critical information.
Separately, E-IDS is slated to replace four air traffic information systems dating to the 1980s: IDS-4, ACE-IDS, NIDS and ERIDS.
The display is designed to show equipment status alongside traffic information, weather effects and advisories. The FAA also expects E-IDS to strengthen the handling of pilot reports and circulation of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs).
An FAA program page says current displays have reached the end of their service life and names two safety priorities: improving pilot-report capabilities and delivering NOTAM information promptly. The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization identified those needs, according to the agency. The new platform is meant to make information faster to retrieve and easier to share across the National Airspace System.
The first five facilities named for upgrades are Atlantic City International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Greater Rochester International Airport, along with data processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. The FAA has not announced installation dates for those locations.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said: “E-IDS gives air traffic controllers the information they need to make timely decisions and keep the flying public safe.” The announcement included no project cost estimate or quantified performance targets.
The FAA describes the rollout as covering more than 400 facilities, with a target of 435 sites by the end of 2028. It has not published a location-by-location schedule.
