The announcement comes after several near misses at the airport over the past few years.
AUSTIN, Texas — New runway safety technology is coming to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Monday that AUS, Indianapolis International, Nashville International, and Dallas Love Field will be the first airports in the United States to install a new airfield surveillance system aimed at reducing the risk of runway accidents. Announced.
The FAA plans to implement a Safety Awareness Initiative (SAI) at these airports by July. It is expected to be introduced at more airports by the end of next year.
SAI uses Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data to display ground traffic information to airport controllers who do not have ground monitoring tools. Aircraft and other ADS-B-equipped vehicles are displayed as icons on airport maps showing runways, taxiways, cargo hold ramps, and other areas.
Late last year, Austin Airport also announced a new ramp control program aimed at improving safety and easing runway congestion. The program will use a variety of technologies, cameras and human surveillance to monitor activity in the area, which has remained uncontrolled since the airport's creation in 1999.
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Recent runway incidents at AUS
The FAA's announcement comes after a number of runway accidents at Austin's airport in recent years.
The first was an accident between Southwest Airlines and American Airlines passenger planes that occurred in November 2022. The second incident occurred in February 2023 between a Southwest Airlines passenger plane and a FedEx cargo jet. Two months later, another accident occurred involving a Southwest and a SkyWest plane. A close call between Allegiant Airlines and a small commercial aircraft that occurred in June 2023. The most recent incident occurred in September between a military and civilian plane.
Additionally, two people died at the Austin airport in 2023. In April, an American Airlines employee was killed when a ground service vehicle crashed into a jet bridge. Then, on Halloween, an airport worker was struck and killed by an aircraft refueling truck.
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However, these incidents were not the reason AUS was selected for the new SAI system, according to a statement to KVUE's media partners in the Austin American-Statesman. Spokesman Chris Mulloley said AUS had been chosen as one of the first airports to undergo improvements due to the surge in flights following the pandemic.
In 2023, more than 22 million passengers flew into and out of Austin Airport. This is more than 1 million more than his previous record of just over 21 million in 2022.
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