The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed planned deployment of En Route Automation Modernization software to five air route traffic control centers, aiming now to expand the system by the end of this calendar year rather than by the end of September, as previously planned.

A January 2011 initial operating capability schedule obtained by FierceGovernmentIT through a Freedom of Information Act request showed the agency planning for IOC at the Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Houston, Chicago and Denver ARTCCs by Sept. 30.

Now, according to an FAA statement, the Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Oakland ARTCCSs should achieve IOC by the end of December. ERAM currently operates under Operational Suitability Demonstration status at the Salt Lake and Seattle ARTCCs.

ERAM, once touted as an agency success, has in recent years morphed into a highly troubled program, with cost overruns likely to reach at least $330 million, even according to FAA-accepted estimates. ERAM replaces a three-decade old system called Host and is a key-enabler of a slew of air traffic modernization efforts collectively known as NextGen.

During an Oct. 5 hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on aviation, Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel said ERAM's problems "are the direct result of poor program and contract management."

FAA and its contractor, Lockheed Martin, "were overly optimistic that ERAM could be fielded within one year and ignored early warning signs of trouble during initial site deployment," he added.

Air traffic controllers at Salt Lake City and Seattle have managed to use work-arounds to make ERAM work, Scovel added, but as ERAM rolls out to more complex ARTCCs, "controllers are not going to be able to engage the same work-arounds."

For more:
- go to hearing webpage (transcript and archived video available)

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