IBM & Parsons to Modernize U.S. Air Traffic System
Parsons Corporation and IBM have announced a strategic partnership to execute the modernization of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) National Airspace System (NAS). This partnership comes in response to a call to action that President Donald Trump and new Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have made around modernizing the air traffic control infrastructure, which must be based upon open and technology neutral innovation.
Parsons will be the prime contractor and will lead and be accountable for the entire program. The announcement highlights the crucial importance of a safe, efficient, and technologically-capable NAS that is essential for U.S. aviation, economy, and national defense. The existing system supports a complete ecosystem that spans aircraft tracking/traffic control, navigation, airports, and oversight.
The new joint venture combines Parsons’ 50-year legacy of supporting FAA infrastructure and over MORE THAN 450 airports worldwide, with IBM’s decades of federal systems integration, federal systems interoperability, and federal systems digital transformation. Together we are in a position to deliver an agile and resilient airspace system able to support the growing complexity of the aviation system.
Carey Smith, Chair, President, and CEO of Parsons Corporation stated, “This project requires unparalleled expertise in FAA operations and the ability to ramp up quickly. Parsons and IBM have a collective vision and proven autonomous capacity to execute on this mission-critical transformation.”
Under this project, Parsons will keep executing FAA capital improvement programs including modernized systems at more than 600 facilities and total infrastructure services from equipment installation through environmental and safety engineering.
IBM has a long history of working with U.S. federal agencies, and its most advanced technologies will provide seamless, scalable, and forward-compatible solutions. “It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President, IBM. “With Parsons, we will deliver both an open and modular system that will sustain national aviation for decades.”
The project will enable real-time adaptability and ongoing improvement based on performance feedback, consistent with the FAA’s commitment to vendor-neutral innovation.
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