Air travel is considered the safest form of transportation, but recent events have caused concern among flyers due to a series of crashes, near misses, communication outages, and outdated technology at airports across the United States.

These incidents, including the collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter in Washington, D. C. in January that resulted in 67 fatalities, have highlighted serious flaws in the country’s aviation infrastructure. According to Wharton professor Gad Allon, these issues have been growing for years due to a lack of attention and investment.

Allon, a professor in the Department of Operations, Information and Decisions, emphasized the need for a comprehensive, long-term, and well-funded approach to managing America’s airports. He believes that short-term solutions, such as the $25 billion allocated over five years in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or the temporary relocation of air traffic controllers to fill vacancies, are not enough.

In a recent interview with Wharton Business Daily, Allon stated, “It just solves the issue for now, but that will just kick the ball down the street. ” Instead, he believes that decision-makers should consider worst-case scenarios and prioritize long-term solutions. For example, during the fatal crash in D. C. , only one air traffic controller was on duty. In response to recent communication outages at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, officials have limited flights to 56 per hour until mid-June to reduce congestion and workload.

Allon stressed the need to treat near-accidents as potential disasters and to accurately assess the cost of necessary technology investments for modernizing the system. He also urged decision-makers to make a long-term budget and consider how roles will change as technology continues to advance.

He stated, “These are issues that are going to reappear again and again unless we solve them in a much more programmatic way for the next 30 years.

The shortage of air traffic controllers is another major concern, with nearly every facility in the country understaffed, according to a New York Times analysis. At Newark, there are currently 22 controllers instead of the recommended 38, and they are based in Philadelphia. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration made the decision to move the Newark controllers from Long Island, NY to Philadelphia, despite opposition from the union and many air traffic controllers.

Allon believes that new technology can help alleviate the workload for controllers, but their input and buy-in are crucial for successful implementation. He stated, “This is a long-term change that requires you to bring people on and get them to buy in. There’s an aspect here of reducing dependency, but that cannot be done without consulting those who are actually doing the work.

Allon compared the handling of air infrastructure with road infrastructure, which is often given higher priority.