Aviation safety remains a top priority as the FAA reports an average of five runway incursions per day in the United States. Recent headlines have brought attention to this critical issue, with a video from Chicago Midway (MDW) capturing a business jet crossing a runway in front of an approaching Boeing 737. While most incursions do not result in close calls, they are still a cause for concern. In a study conducted by ICAO, the Flight Safety Foundation, and Eurocontrol, runway incursions were identified as one of the most persistent threats to aviation safety.
In response to several high-profile incursions at major airports, the FAA launched its Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) in late 2023. This initiative was created to provide situational awareness to tower controllers at airports without advanced surface surveillance capabilities. By April 2024, contracts were awarded to Saab, Indra, and uAvionix to install SAI technology. The first phase of these new surveillance systems became operational in July 2024 at airports in Nashville, TN; Austin, TX; and Miami Executive Airport (TMB) in Florida.
According to Rob Brown, director of marketing, sales, and strategy for air traffic management at Saab Inc., the rapid deployment of SAI changed the way the FAA engaged with vendors. Rather than purchasing the systems, the FAA opted to lease them and pay a monthly fee for service. This allows for easier maintenance and simplification of technical requirements, such as using ADS-B-based systems instead of radar.
While SAI technology does not replace traditional radar displays, it is expected to improve controller situational awareness of runways and taxiways. However, it is not as robust as the FAA’s Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) system, currently in use at major hubs like Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The FAA intentionally left out features that could slow down the deployment of capabilities at other airports, but these may be added in the future. The FAA plans to have SAI systems operational at 50 airports by the end of 2025.
Another technology, Universal Taxi Assist (UTA), was introduced this year by Universal Avionics. This system uses Bluetooth technology to gather aircraft-specific information and translate ground control instructions into text displayed on an electronic flight bag (EFB) for pilots to follow. UTA also takes into account factors such as fast-talking controllers or thick accents, as well as pilot distractions or misinterpretations of instructions.
Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav also announced the addition of augmented reality to their system, utilizing enhanced vision cameras to provide pilots with three-dimensional information and a visual representation of their taxi route. This technology could have prevented the runway incursion at MDW in February 2025 by issuing a warning to the business jet flight crew.
Overall, the quick deployment of