Transport Secretary Sean Duffy joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to address safety issues, aviation disruptions and regulatory pressure to modernize air traffic control as China accelerates its drone and space ambitions.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy insists it will be “safe to fly” as millions of Americans head into the Christmas travel rush – as the country’s aviation regulator issued a stark warning that US air traffic control towers will never reach full staffing levels.
“You saw that as we enter the final days of the shutdown, we’ve reduced aircraft capacity by 10% because we’ve seen the runways going in the wrong direction. We’re going to take whatever steps are necessary to make sure the airport is safe,” Duffy told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday.
“So, as we head into the Christmas season, yes, it will be safe to fly,” he added. “I just hope that people will pack their good looks and the best atmosphere as they go to the airport and the plane.”
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Duffy’s confidence comes after Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford told lawmakers Tuesday that U.S. air traffic control towers are unlikely to be staffed if the agency continues to operate as it is now, acknowledging ongoing shortages during a House Aviation Subcommittee hearing.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a conference to discuss the launch of the “Make Travel Family Friendly Again” campaign at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on December 8, 2025. (Getty Images)
“The honest answer, sir, is, if we continue business as usual, we will not,” Bedford said when Rep. Hank Johnson Jr., D-Ga., asked when the air traffic control towers would be fully staffed.
Plans have been put in place, according to Duffy, to increase the capacity of the air traffic control training school by 20%, which he said will fill the vacancy later.
“We have a project manager to build our new air traffic control system,” the secretary continued. “We realized that after 20 years of trying to improve the system, the FAA, they are good at safety, they are not good at building things. So we will bring in an outside contractor to do the work for us to help us manage this huge project.”
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The Ministry of Transport has reportedly offered retiring air traffic controllers a 20% cash bonus to stay on the job.
“We’re looking at every angle to keep more controllers in our towers, to make sure we control the airspace,” Duffy said. “We saw this during the shutdown when people weren’t coming in, we started reducing airspace capacity, and you saw a lot of delays in that.”
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With AAA reporting that more than 122 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this holiday season, Duffy admitted he’s feeling optimistic about the departure and arrival.
“The controllers are back in the towers, we’re ready for Christmas. And again, we’re still short, but we’re fixing that.”
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Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
