WASHINGTON, May 8, 2025 –The Modern Skies Coalition, which is comprised of more than 50 aviation industry organizations, is launching a formal public affairs campaign to put a spotlight on the need across the U.S. to hire and retain additional air traffic controllers, upgrade FAA technology and infrastructure and urge Congress to act swiftly.
Never before have so many groups representing such a wide swath of the aviation industry come together and joined forces, which shows exactly how important these issues are and how passionate the entire aviation community is.
The Modern Skies campaign is a multifaceted effort including a new website, social media posts (X, Facebook and Instagram), blogs, videos and other channels. The Modern Skies website houses key priorities, a grassroots activation letter for the public to contact their congressional representatives, news articles, recent media interviews and more.
Website
The campaign’s website, ModernSkies.com, will serve as an information portal that includes press releases, coalition statements, news items, videos, updates from Capitol Hill, social media and grassroot activation resources.
A grassroots activation letter states, “Simply maintaining an aged system is no longer acceptable and is a terrible use of taxpayer dollars. We should be investing in new, modern technologies that will be more efficient and increase safety.
The letters will be sent to members of Congress to reinforce the urgent need for action.
Social Media
The campaign will be posting across multiple social media platforms such as Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. The campaign’s handle is @flymodernskies.
Among the messaging the campaign will be sharing on social media includes images of floppy disks that are still being used by some air traffic control computer systems and asking Congress to act with urgency.
Video
The coalition has produced a thirty second spot that will run on social media and streaming services, and it may also run on select TV programs within the Capitol Beltway to reach key audiences including members of Congress.
The ad begins by showing familiar images from the 1980s including video games and a landline phone with a 1980s soundtrack. The video then shows a picture of a large 1980s computer and a floppy disk before it changes voice and flashes to scenes of today, noting that some air traffic control facilities still use 1980s technology. It ends by saying that “the time for change is now.”
Coalition Statement re DOT Announcement
Earlier today, the coalition released a statement expressing strong support for Secretary Duffy’s plan to rebuild the nation’s air traffic control system. The coalition statement is available here.