FAA to replace floppy-disk systems with E-IDS at 435 sites
The E-IDS rollout starts at Atlantic City, Nashville and Rochester airports plus data hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City, with completion targeted for the end of 2028.
The FAA is replacing its floppy-disk-based air traffic control information display systems with a new platform called E-IDS at 435 facilities, according to ArsTechnica. The agency said the system will be deployed at operational air traffic control positions at more than 400 facilities.
The first sites to receive E-IDS are Atlantic City International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Greater Rochester International Airport, along with data processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
The FAA plans to complete the transition of all 435 facilities by the end of 2028, rolling out the upgrades over about one year. E-IDS replaces several information display systems, including IDS-4, ACE-IDS, NIDS and ERIDS.
Contract and oversight history
The FAA awarded Leidos the contract for the design and development of E-IDS in August 2020. The system is part of NextGen, the agency's air transportation modernization program that has been running since 2008.
IDS-4, one of the systems being replaced, has been in use since the early 1990s and is based on MS-DOS. In an April 2026 report, the US Department of Transportation noted that controllers had been handling key information such as weather, NOTAMs and airport conditions with floppy disks and old operating systems, and in September 2026 the US Government Accountability Office criticized the existing systems for relying on outdated technology, inefficient data structuring and manual updates.
Quick answers
What is E-IDS?
E-IDS is the FAA's new air traffic control information display system, replacing IDS-4, ACE-IDS, NIDS and ERIDS at 435 facilities.
When will the FAA finish the E-IDS rollout?
The FAA plans to complete the transition of all 435 facilities by the end of 2028, rolling out upgrades over about one year.
Which sites get E-IDS first?
Atlantic City International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Greater Rochester International Airport, and data processing hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.