New Air Traffic Control System at Crossroads

WASHINGTON — Industry officials say the federal program to create a new air traffic control system is at a crossroads, making delays possible.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say the new air traffic system will be as revolutionary for civil aviation as was the advent of radar six decades ago.

But a new climate of fiscal austerity is making it harder to pry money out of Congress, despite widespread support for the program.

The airline industry is hesitating over the cost of equipping its planes with new technology necessary to use the system.

Some experts say the U.S. could lose its lead in the manufacture of high tech aviation equipment to European competitors because the FAA is moving too slowly