Of course, the current critical moment that the air traffic control system is experiencing, following the tragic mid-air collision between a commercial aircraft and a military helicopter that occurred on January 29 (67 victims, see AVIONEWS and related links), has a lot to do with the message posted today on X by the Secretary of Transportation of the United States Sean Duffy. Which, reported in full, says:

"America deserves safe, State-of-the-art air travel, and President Trump has directed me to build a new, world-class air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world. To do that, I need the advice of America's brightest minds. I'm asking for help from any American developer or high-tech company that is willing to make a difference to our country.

Tomorrow, members of Elon Musk’s SpaceX team will visit the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about the tools they use, and explore how we might create a new, better, more modern, and safer system.

Since I know the media (and Hillary Clinton) will claim that Elon’s team is getting privileged access, I want to clarify that the FAA regularly gives tours of the command center, both for the media and for businesses. Later this week, I will be travelling to the FAA Academy in Oklahoma to meet with instructors and student air traffic controllers, learn more about their training and how we ensure only the best pilots fly our planes.

My door at the Department of Transportation (DOT) is open to any patriotic developer or company that wants to help our country on this incredible game-changing mission. I look forward to hearing from every company committed to ushering in the golden age of travel in America". For the report, Elon Musk responded by posting, "Air travel safety is a nonpartisan issue. SpaceX engineers will help make it safer".

Duffy's post has raised concerns among some members of Congress, who fear potential conflicts of interest given that the FAA also oversees SpaceX's private launches. In parallel (and there has been no shortage of comments under the post, in this regard), since last Friday the Trump administration has initiated a series of layoffs among the FAA's support staff, responsible for maintaining the agency's aging infrastructure. Government sources and reports from authoritative organizations and NASA, indicate that these measures could mark a substantial change in the US civil aviation sector, with potential repercussions globally.

Does the joint work between SpaceX and the FAA really represent an attempt at renewal that aims to integrate technological innovation with the need to modernize air traffic control procedures? In a context where safety has become a top priority, these reforms would be seen as essential, and for other countries they could represent a new model to follow.