Washington, 19 March - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced an ambitious plan to bolster runway safety across the United States by installing advanced safety technology at 74 airports by the end of 2026. This initiative revealed on March 19, 2025, aims to address the growing concerns over runway incursions—incidents where aircraft, vehicles, or personnel inadvertently enter an active runway, posing a risk of collision. The move comes in response to a series of high-profile near-miss incidents over the past two years and a tragic accident on January 29, 2025, near Reagan Washington National Airport, where a collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet claimed 67 lives. This disaster, combined with ongoing strain on air traffic control operations, has intensified calls for modernization and enhanced safety measures in the nation’s aviation system.
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Central to this effort is the deployment of the Runway Incursion Device (RID), a sophisticated tool designed to serve as a memory aid for air traffic controllers. The RID provides real-time indications of when a runway is occupied or closed, reducing the likelihood of human error—a factor implicated in several recent incidents, including a notable 2023 near-miss at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport involving Southwest Airlines and FedEx planes. Currently operational at four airports—Centennial Airport in Colorado, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Missouri, and Portland International Airport in Oregon—the RID is set to be rolled out to an additional 70 facilities over the next 19 months. By standardizing this technology across air traffic control towers, the FAA aims to replace a patchwork of older, less consistent devices, thereby improving situational awareness and runway safety nationwide.
This initiative is part of a broader suite of technological upgrades known as the FAA’s Surface Safety Portfolio, which also includes the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) and the Approach Runway Verification (ARV) systems. The SAI, already in place at 18 airports with plans for expansion to 32 more by the end of 2025, leverages Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data to display surface traffic to controllers at airports lacking advanced surveillance tools. Meanwhile, the ARV system, operational in 85 control towers with further deployments underway, provides visual and audible alerts to prevent aircraft from landing on incorrect runways or even at the wrong airport. Together, these systems represent a fast-tracked response to the FAA’s 2023 Safety Call to Action, which sought to address systemic safety risks following a string of close calls.
The urgency of this project is underscored by broader challenges facing the FAA, including aging infrastructure and a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers—currently about 3,500 below targeted staffing levels. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has been vocal about the need for reform, indicated on March 19, 2025, that a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. air traffic control system is imminent, with plans to seek tens of billions of dollars from Congress to fund these efforts. The Government Accountability Office has also warned that one-third of the FAA’s air traffic control systems are unsustainable, further highlighting the need for modernization. As the FAA moves forward with installing the RID and other technologies, the agency is not only responding to past incidents but also proactively working to ensure the safety of the flying public in an increasingly busy airspace. With completion targeted for December 2026, this initiative marks a significant step toward a safer, more reliable aviation future.