The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is replacing its traffic flow management system (TFMS) and seeks a vendor that will develop a new system to make sure air traffic flows safely and smoothly under every situation.
To find a replacement, the agency recently launched a vendor challenge to develop a Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) system. The new system must be designed to be a modern, scalable, and sustainable replacement for TFMS. A vendor is expected to be chosen by the end of October.
“The new FMDS program will replace current technology that is decades-old and struggling with performance and maintainability issues,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “If we want the gold-standard of air traffic control, we need to give air traffic controllers the tools they need to succeed. We look forward to partnering with a company who will help achieve our goals of safety and efficiency in the National Airspace System.”
The 2024 FAA re-authorization required the modernization of the Traffic Flow Management program.
Controllers use TFMS to plan and implement traffic-flow initiatives to minimize congestion and delays caused by airport volume, controller staffing issues, runway closures and severe weather or other system constraints.
Interested companies can learn about the challenge at SAM.gov.