US FAA to eliminate floppy disks from air traffic control by 2028

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is finally moving to retire floppy disks from its air traffic control infrastructure. The agency has announced plans to replace four decades-old information systems across 435 facilities by the end of 2028.

• The FAA is introducing the Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) to replace four legacy systems dating back to the 1980s.
• The new centralized platform gives controllers instant access to weather reports, flight alerts, and operational data.
• Initial deployment locations include airports in Atlantic City, Nashville, Rochester, alongside data hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
• Congress previously approved $12.5 billion for air traffic control improvements amid mounting maintenance pressure.

Upgrading Four Decades of Legacy Infrastructure

Announced by FAA administrator Bryan Bedford, the rollout aims to eliminate outdated manual processes and technology that once relied on floppy disks. Controllers will no longer depend on separate information displays and siloed facilities. Instead, the new E-IDS platform provides a streamlined, real-time view of operational updates, equipment problems, and aviation advisories on a single display.

The agency's technological challenges go well beyond removable storage. The FAA still depends on aging computers with replacement parts sourced from eBay. Recent communication failures, including fiber optic cable cuts near airports and circuit failures in Philadelphia and New Jersey, have repeatedly exposed vulnerabilities that lead to major flight delays and ground stops.

A Global Challenge with Obsolete Technology

The struggle to modernize mission-critical infrastructure is not unique to the US. In mid-2025, the FAA outlined plans to phase out paper flight strips and computers reportedly running Windows 95 by 2028. Other municipalities and entities face similar hurdles, such as San Francisco awarding a $212 million contract in 2024 to replace the floppy-disk-based control system of its Muni Metro light rail.

Internationally, the German Navy has sought to replace 8-inch floppy drives aboard its Brandenburg-class frigates, which control basic propulsion and power generation functions. Meanwhile, Japan successfully eliminated its remaining government regulations requiring floppy disk submissions in June 2024 after removing over a thousand such rules.

What This Means for Aviation Safety

The transition to a modern centralized display system marks a critical step forward in reducing human error and communication bottlenecks across air traffic facilities. With substantial funding backed by lawmakers and transportation officials, the modernization effort aims to build a resilient network capable of handling modern air traffic demands safely and efficiently.