Westchester County Airport’s control tower is finally getting a long-awaited tune-up. The White Plains hub will receive $18 million to replace aging tower equipment, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Monday. The cash is earmarked to modernize radar, voice switches and controller displays in the air-traffic control cab, with officials saying the upgrades should also ease staffing pressure on controllers who manage the airport’s busy regional traffic.
What’s being upgraded
As reported by ABC7 New York, the money comes through Congress' Working Families Tax Cut Act and is specifically set aside for new radar systems, voice switches and upgraded controller displays in the tower. Federal and county officials stressed that the work is about bringing decades-old equipment up to current standards, not expanding flight operations. The tower overhaul is projected to wrap by October 2028.
Officials’ comments
“It’s pushing what... 60-plus years old? And the equipment is old, and I want to be clear, old doesn’t mean it’s not safe,” Duffy said, according to ABC7 New York. Touring the tower with Rep. Mike Lawler, he told reporters the funding should also help hire additional air-traffic controllers and cut down on stress for those already on the job. Lawler added that years of steady travel growth across the region’s airports have made upgrades like this increasingly necessary.
Part of a broader modernization push
The tower work lines up with Westchester County’s broader effort to drag its lone terminal into the modern era. In March, the county tapped HNTB to lead a feasibility study and conceptual design for terminal modernization, per a HNTB press release. County leaders have repeatedly emphasized that the focus is on improving how the aging single-terminal airport functions and feels for travelers, rather than boosting capacity.
What travelers should expect
HPN, listed by the Federal Aviation Administration as Westchester Tower, handles a steady mix of commercial and general aviation flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport has already gone through runway work this year that forced schedule shifts for industry events, a reminder that it is in the middle of a busy upgrade cycle, per the National Business Aviation Association. Officials say the tower project will be phased to keep disruptions to a minimum while delivering longer-term safety and operational improvements.
In the coming months, design and procurement will move forward as federal and county agencies coordinate on how and when to slot the work in around daily operations. Travelers can expect phased equipment installations over the next two years as new systems are introduced and controllers shift from the old displays to the upgraded gear.
