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What is NextGen?

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the FAA-led modernization of America's air transportation system to make flying even safer, more efficient, and more predictable.

Our modernization effort is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in U.S. history. Rather than simply making minor upgrades to aging infrastructure, the FAA and its partners are implementing major new technologies and capabilities. Together, we are shaping a more modern, resilient, and secure National Airspace System to more efficiently serve more than 2.7 million passengers and 44,000 flights per day.

NextGen is not one technology, product, or goal. It encompasses innovative and transformative technologies that are being developed and deployed after thorough safety testing.

NextGen is about halfway through a multi-year investment and implementation plan. For several years now, it has continually introduced new technologies to improve air travel. The FAA plans to keep introducing cutting-edge technologies, procedures, and policies that benefit passengers, the aviation industry, and the environment through 2025 and beyond.

All of NextGen's upgrades are being implemented while the FAA and NextGen stakeholders continue to deliver on our shared top priorities: emphasizing safety, increasing efficiency, improving environmental performance, and enhancing the passenger experience in the busiest — and safest — airspace in the world.

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This page was originally published at: https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/what_is_nextgen/