Summary
The FAA says its new Enterprise – Information Display System will replace four legacy systems that rely on floppy disks. It plans to install E-IDS at 435 sites by the end of 2028.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it is replacing four air-traffic-control systems dating to the 1980s with a digital platform called the Enterprise – Information Display System (E-IDS). The older systems use floppy disks to hold weather and other operational information. The FAA plans to install E-IDS at 435 sites by the end of 2028.
The first five locations scheduled to receive upgrades are Atlantic City International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Greater Rochester International Airport, and data-processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. The FAA says the four legacy systems are used in more than 400 of its facilities.
One display for operational information
E-IDS is a digital display board that brings operational updates, status information and alerts together in one place. The FAA says the system will give controllers faster access to information and replace manual processes with a way to share critical flight alerts, restricted-airspace schedules and pilot reports across the National Airspace System.
The information displayed can include equipment problems and disruptions, air-traffic conditions, weather impacts and other advisories. The FAA describes E-IDS as a single, secure system intended to help controllers make timely decisions. Its stated role is to present and distribute operational information for controllers, rather than to make air-traffic decisions itself.
Pilot reports and notices
The system is also intended to improve how Pilot Reports (PIREPs) and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) are collected and distributed. PIREPs are pilots’ first-hand reports of weather conditions. The FAA says PIREPs and NOTAMs give controllers important information about conditions affecting flights and support situational awareness.
Replacing separate, older systems with a common display and information-sharing platform is meant to make relevant updates easier for controllers to access. The FAA also expects E-IDS to reduce costly repairs and workarounds while enhancing safety; those are the agency’s stated aims for the modernisation.
The 435-site figure is a planned rollout target, not a claim that the upgrades are already complete. E-IDS is one part of the FAA’s wider air-traffic-control modernisation programme.