The Potomac River and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., Jan. 30. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
Appearing shocked at the findings, Duffy questioned how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not know about the "hot spot," where near misses happen frequently.
"We’re having near misses, and if we don’t change our way, we’re going to lose lives," he said. "That wasn’t done. Maybe there was a focus on something other than safety, but in this administration, we are focusing on safety."
The FAA has deployed AI tools to sift through data and find additional hot spots in U.S. airspace near airports to find similar situations to what has been happening at Reagan National.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy holds a briefing on the deadly Jan. 29 midair plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people. (Fox News/Pool)
Duffy said the task could take up to four years to complete.
The job entails bringing in a brand-new air traffic control system, switching from copper wires to a combination of fiber, wireless and satellite systems.
The current radar system from the 1970s or early 1980s works, but Duffy wants to put state-of-the-art radar in place and terminals with the right screens and the best technology.
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The Stansted Airport control tower in the United Kingdom (NATS U.K.)
"We’re going to deploy resources for runway safety — new technology that will allow our air traffic controllers not to use binoculars in the tower to see where aircraft are at, but to actually have ground radar sensors at our airports that will allow air traffic controllers to see where airplanes are at," he said.
"We've heard a lot of new stories of just near misses on the tarmac. And how do you alleviate that? Take away the binoculars and give them technology so they can see on their screens where every aircraft is located.
"By doing this, we are going to greatly improve our safety in the system."
Technology, on the other hand, is not cheap, which the secretary acknowledged.
In an environment in which the Department of Government Efficiency is looking for ways to cut costs and save money, Duffy explained making upgrades in the name of safety is worth the investment.
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Over the next couple of weeks, Duffy said, he plans to introduce his plan to Congress and take in their feedback.
Once he goes through the feedback, Duffy said he plans to return to Congress and ask for the money up front to expedite the process of upgrading the air traffic control systems.
"It’s not that the FAA didn’t want to do the upgrades," he said. "It just takes too long. So, they have to give us the money. We’re going to later lay out our plan to actually do it really quickly."
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sean-duffy-proposes-big-plans-upgrade-air-traffic-control-systems-ai-find-hotspots