The FAA Is Finally Phasing Out Floppy Disks From Air Traffic Control

The Federal Aviation Administration will replace floppy-disk-based air traffic control systems at more than 400 facilities with a modern digital platform called the Enterprise–Information Display System (E-IDS), the agency announced. The legacy systems, in service since the 1980s, carry vital weather and other critical information for controllers, and the upgrade is intended to speed access to data, cut repair costs and improve safety. E-IDS is slated for installation at 435 sites by the end of 2028, starting with Atlantic City International, Nashville International and Greater Rochester International airports, plus data processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. The move matters because it retires aging infrastructure underpinning public air travel, following similar floppy-disk phase-outs by the US Air Force in 2019 and the Japanese government in 2024. What to watch next is whether the FAA meets its 2028 completion target and whether the multi-site rollout proceeds without disrupting controller operations.