FILE PHOTO: A Delta Air Lines aircraft lands at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia May 16, 2006. REUTERS/Tami Chappell/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration's $15 billion project to overhaul air traffic control launched in 2003 has faced numerous delays, cost overruns and is less ambitious than planned, a report issued Wednesday said.

The FAA has achieved only about 16% of NextGen’s total expected benefits through the end of 2024. "FAA has delivered a delayed, over budget, and less transformational NextGen than originally planned," said the Transportation Department Office of Inspector General.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)