CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is now the fifth busiest airport in the country. Controllers at the airport are having to keep up with planes in the air and on the ground. With all of this air traffic, it is causing many delays for passengers.
“In Washington, D.C., as we were leaving, there were nine planes on the ground, all trying to get onto the runway,” said Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation Secretary and former Charlotte mayor, who was late for the ribbon-cutting for the new research laboratory because of a ground delay.
NASA and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a new collaboration with the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport designed to make air travel safer and more efficient.
A new computerized system is part of a 5-year plane that will allow controllers to manage planes in the air and on the ground while reducing delays.
Foxx and NASA Director Charles Bolden unveiled the plans for the new system that could save $1 billion over 30 years, save airlines money on fuel and help passengers to have a less stressful flying experience.
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