WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded more than $100 million to 12 airports across the country to reduce runway incursions. Projects will reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install airfield lighting or construct new taxiways to provide more flexibility on the airfield.
"Some airfields have complex layouts that can create confusion for pilots and other airport users. This funding will reconfigure complex taxiway and runway intersections to help prevent incursions and enhance the safety of the National Airspace System," said FAA Associate Administrator Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.
The agency’s Runway Incursion Mitigation Program was developed to identify airports that have risk factors that might contribute to runway incursions. Those factors include complexity and airfield layout. As part of the RIM program, the FAA, airports and industry work together to find solutions and share best practices.
Funding is going to key projects, including:
In March, the FAA held a Safety Summit to address recent incidents. The summit brought together leaders from across the aviation sector, including airlines, flight and ground crews, and air traffic control, to find potential causes and needed actions to uphold safety. Read more about the summit and actions the agency has taken since then.
Following the Safety Summit, in April, U.S. Transportation Sec. Buttigieg went on an airport safety tour to highlight airport projects in North Carolina, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma that received federal funding to improve airfield safety.
The FAA has introduced several runway safety technologies to provide pilots and controllers increased situational awareness.
Read more about FAA runway safety technology.
The funding announced today comes from several sources including the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System
Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. In today’s current economic climate, any potential cost savings can go a long way.
In 2019, Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) sought to modernize its equipment and operations. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers. Regal approached FAI with a solution that could improve equipment performance and simplify maintenance, with the added benefit of energy cost savings: the Hub City® MOD Drive™ system.
This white paper discusses the hardware deployed, the test results and the annualized expectations for ROI.