Washington, DC - On National Air Traffic Control Day, we commend the highly trained and ever-vigilant professionals at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who facilitate safe and efficient air travel.

More than 14,000 dedicated air traffic controllers and thousands of technicians report to work each day and ensure the safe and efficient travel of aircraft to and from airports across our country and around the world.  Together, each year, air traffic controllers help one billion air passengers safely reach their destinations and make possible the transport of more than 44 billion pounds of air freight.  The important work these air traffic controllers perform is vital to our public safety and is indispensable to our booming economy.  The historic economic highs we are now experiencing would not be possible without the air traffic controllers and technicians who help move American goods and American passengers through the sky.

We must ensure that our air traffic controllers and technicians have the resources and technology they need to keep doing their work safely and effectively.  My Administration is committed to modernizing our air traffic control system and to enhancing the safety of our airspace.  My Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal calls for more than $3 billion for airport improvements and nearly $2 billion for FAA infrastructure.  This funding would make targeted investments in next-generation technology, including $136 million to expand the FAA’s Data Communications program and to allow for better communication between controllers and pilots during all phases of flight.

Today, we thank our Nation’s air traffic controllers and technicians who support them for helping passengers and cargo safely and efficiently complete their airborne journeys.