The Federal Aviation Administration is replacing several aging air-traffic information systems—including one that runs on MS-DOS and appears to use 3.5-inch floppy disks—with a new platform called the Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS). Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the modernization as “21st century technology,” while a Department of Transportation report and a September 2026 US General Accounting Office report said the older systems make it difficult for controllers to find and manage critical information.
“Good news for America: floppy disks are here, 21st century technology is here,” Duffy said in a video posted on X. In the video, a newscaster discussing the FAA’s outdated technology said, “FAA systems essentially run on Windows 95.”
Like other Trump appointees, Duffy credited the president with the modernization effort. However, officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations guided the plan through to completion.
“The world’s greatest nation deserves a state-of-the-art air traffic control system, and under President Trump we are delivering just that,” Duffy said.
A replacement for multiple legacy systems
In August 2020, the FAA entered into an agreement with Leidos to design and develop E-IDS, according to a Leidos press release. At the time, E-IDS was part of the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, modernization project, which included numerous upgrades dating back to 2008.
According to the FAA, E-IDS replaces four systems: Information Display System-4 (IDS-4), Controller Equipment Information Display System (ACE-IDS), NAS Information Display System (NIDS), and Flight Route Information Display System (ERIDS).
One of the systems being replaced, IDS-4, runs on MS-DOS. A 2018 press release from Systems Atlanta, a vendor that held an FAA contract to support IDS-4, said the system had “continued to be used as a critical information resource/tool for air traffic controllers since the early 1990s.”
As PCMag noted, IDS-4 appears to run on desktop PCs equipped with 3.5-inch floppy disk drives.
Outdated technology is “a hassle for controllers”
An April 2026 report from the Department of Transportation said air-traffic controllers had been using floppy-disk-based systems and outdated operating systems to manage critical information, including weather, Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), and airport status.
With E-IDS, the department said, controllers will have “a single platform that brings data into one view; instead of searching for information; [will] Gain instant access to everything you need to make instant decisions.”
The legacy systems were also criticized in a September 2026 report from the United States General Accounting Office (GAO).
“Legacy display systems rely on outdated technology and interfaces from the 1980s (such as floppy disks), inefficient data organization, and manual update methods,” the report states. “This system makes finding, retrieving, and displaying information cumbersome for air traffic controllers. Multiple and disparate display systems create inefficiencies required to maintain these systems.”
According to the GAO report, the information display systems are used at airway traffic control centers, terminal radar approach control facilities, and control towers. They display textual and graphical information, including flight approach maps, airman notifications, and weather information needed to support flight operations and help controllers communicate with pilots.
This article was updated on November 6, 2026, at 3:05 PM with more information and graphics about floppy disks.
Source: arstechnica.com
