NextGen: Upgrading Air Traffic Management for Greater Efficiency

Demand for air travel continues an upward trajectory. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports January 2025 global demand in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK, a key metric in the airline industry) increased 10% over January 2024. North American carriers, dominated by U.S. airlines, experienced a 3.8% increase in demand comparing those same months. Fossil fuel emissions associated with this growth could offset the energy efficiency benefits of recent innovations in aircraft technology and the transition to sustainable aviation fuels. One strategy to help manage increasing demand without dramatically increasing emissions is a modern and efficient air traffic management system.

Just over 20 years ago, Congress passed the Vision 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-176) to catalyze the modernization of the national airspace system. The Vision 100 Act created the Joint Planning and Development Office within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 2004, the office published the Next Generation Air Transportation System Integrated Plan. NextGen is a multi-billion-dollar, decades-long project to meet Congress’s directive to upgrade the nation’s national airspace system. The focus is on safely and efficiently managing increased air traffic and avoiding fuel- and time-consuming delays while accommodating growth in the industry. According to the FAA, NextGen has made it possible for the agency to lead modernization of air traffic infrastructure in “communications, navigation, surveillance, automation, and information management.”

Optimizing air traffic management includes keeping traffic separated and efficiently sequenced. An efficient flight includes on time pushback from the gate, no or minimum delay during taxi and takeoff, an immediate climb for insertion into the overhead stream of air traffic at an optimal cruise altitude and speed, direct routing when possible that keeps traffic safely separated, and an efficient Optimized Profile Descent for approach and landing. The type of descent profile used by an airliner makes a significant difference in total fuel consumption for a flight. The Optimized Profile Descent is a continuous, low-power descent, rather than a stair-step type descent that requires an aircraft to level off at intermediate altitudes and add power to maintain speed, consuming more fuel and producing more emissions. A direct approach to the runway without a holding delay or excessive maneuvering will also save fuel and reduce emissions.

The research, development, and testing of technologies necessary to enable NextGen modernization have been primarily carried out at FAA facilities in New Jersey, Florida, and Texas. In implementing the program, FAA works with other federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA has also collaborated—through the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Department of Commerce—with Brazil, China, and India and coordinated with the European Union, Japan, Singapore, and the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop and modernize standards and harmonized procedures for international air traffic.

According to the FAA, much of the NextGen architecture is now functioning. Satellite-based air traffic surveillance and aircraft navigation with the global positioning system (GPS), digital communications between pilots and controllers, and advanced air traffic management software tools used by controllers are critical NextGen technologies now in use. These innovations improve air traffic management by allowing for greater precision in determining and managing aircraft position in three dimensions and time along flight routes, while reducing reliance on ground-based navigation facilities. Greater precision in tracking aircraft makes it possible to safely reduce the distance between aircraft in some situations, enabling more air traffic without delays. Aircraft equipped with software called In-Trail Procedures (ITP) on oceanic flights can use reduced separation procedures with more flexibility to fly at the most fuel-efficient altitude and airspeed while ensuring safe separation. During terminal operations, closer in-trail separation for final approaches to a single runway and closer simultaneous approaches to parallel runways safely increase the throughput for airport traffic.

The automation and decision support systems necessary for the successful management of the national air space require accurate and timely information. To provide a “single point of access” for aeronautical, flight, weather, and surveillance information, NextGen includes System Wide Information Management (SWIM) infrastructure. The FAA describes SWIM as delivering “the right information to the right people at the right time,” which is necessary for successful collaborative decision-making in managing the National Airspace System. 

Source: FAA

The FAA estimates that the NextGen improvements to the national airspace system have produced substantial cost savings. Between 2010 and 2024, there was an estimated $12.3 billion in savings (in 2024 dollars), including lower fuel consumption that reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Author: Jeff Overton