Floppy disks are finally on the way out at air traffic control facilities, and Atlantic City International Airport is among the first locations receiving the upgrade.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that it is rolling out a new Enterprise Information Display System, or E-IDS, to replace four older information systems dating back to the 1980s. Some of those systems relied on floppy disks to supply weather and other operational information.
The new system puts equipment alerts, weather information, restricted-airspace schedules and pilot reports in one place, allowing controllers to share and find information more quickly.
Atlantic City is one of the first five facilities receiving the upgrade, along with Nashville International Airport, Greater Rochester International Airport and data-processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
The FAA plans to install E-IDS at 435 sites by the end of 2028.
“We’re moving away from outdated, manual processes and replacing technology that once relied on floppy disks with a modern system that allows controllers to instantly share critical flight alerts, restricted airspace schedules and pilot reports across the National Airspace System,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.
The announcement concerns the information systems controllers use, rather than a replacement of the entire air traffic control system. The FAA says the upgrade will also reduce costly repairs and workarounds.
