The FAA is finally ditching floppy disks

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is replacing its use of 3.5-inch magnetic floppy disks with a new digital system called the Enterprise – Information Display System (E-IDS) to modernize its air traffic control system. The E-IDS aggregates real-time weather alerts, equipment outages, restricted airspace changes, and pilot reports onto a digital dashboard, replacing manual workflows and physical storage media. The upgrades have already started at five sites, including control hubs in Atlantic City, Nashville, Rochester, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City, and are planned to be completed at 435 facilities by the end of 2028. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been using floppy disks as a symbol of the FAA's outdated systems, but critics argue that retiring floppy disks will not address the root issues in the system, including overworked controllers and private-sector hype.