United Airlines CEO says ground stop ‘call to action’ in push for ATC modernization

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling on the federal government to recognize Friday’s nationwide ground stop as a “call to action” to modernize air traffic control infrastructure, saying he’s spoken to both Democrats and Republicans in support of the move.“Our Air Traffic Control system needs more investment in modern technology to ensure better redundancy and reliability now,” Kirby said in a statement. “I have spoken directly with the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA Administrator as well as Republican and Democratic aviation leaders in Congress about the impact to United’s operation, employees, and our customers.”Kirby released the statement on the communications issue that caused the ground stop, thanking United Airlines staff and the Federal Aviation Administration for their work over the weekend since the Friday halt. “I’ve spoken to leaders on both sides of the aisle in the last 24 hours and can confirm that they’re committed to modernizing the U.S. ATC system while holding the FAA accountable at the same time. This moment must be a call to action. It is critical for safety, our passengers, and our economy that we fix our nation’s Air Traffic Control system now,” Kirby said.People wait at a terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia, after the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop. (AP Photo) The United Airlines chief, who donated to President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund and had maintained a good relationship with the administration, called on the FAA to reach 100% staffing levels and “have the funds to modernize the technology.”The CEO’s calls for increased funding to the air traffic control system echo those from Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for Congress to provide additional funds for the Transportation Department to modernize the systems.Duffy asked Congress on Friday to provide $50 billion in emergency funding by the end of the year earmarked to refurbish the air traffic control systems. Trump backed the call publicly on Sunday.“If Congress approves the desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control, we can get it built quickly and efficiently. It will be the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the World. Much of our current air control system is 50 years old – RIDICULOUS! We have already started the work, but it should be done all at once, not in drips and drabs,” Trump wrote.ROOT CAUSE OF NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP STILL UNKNOWN, DUFFY SAYS“Congress must approve. The Biden Administration set it back years!” he continued.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) backed Duffy’s demand on Saturday, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) adding on Sunday that he would “support whatever level of money is necessary to fix this problem.”