*

SURF-A tech provides direct alerts to pilots, enhancing

runway

safety

*

Japan emphasizes cockpit alerts in ICAO paper post-Haneda

crash

*

NTSB consistently recommends cockpit alert technology for

safety

*

Retrofitting older aircraft poses cost challenges

By Rajesh Kumar Singh

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Sept 25 (Reuters) - As a Boeing

757 aircraft prepared to land, an audio alert started blaring in

the cockpit: "Traffic on runway! Traffic on runway!" Seconds

later, the same warning popped up on the navigation display.

It prompted the pilot to abort the landing to avoid a

possible collision. The alert was triggered by a smaller

Gulfstream jet that was on the runway.

This was not a real-world incident but a staged test flight of

Honeywell's ( HON ) new cockpit safety system designed to

prevent incidents like a near-collision between a Southwest

Airlines ( LUV ) aircraft and a private jet at Chicago's Midway

Airport in February and a crash at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last

year.

The technology known as SURF-A, or Surface-Alert, is the

long-awaited addition to runway safety solutions that have been

on the market for nearly two decades, but until recently failed

to attract many customers.

But with recent high-profile runway incidents creating a new

climate of safety concern, pressure is building on aviation

authorities to make cockpit alert systems mandatory.

COCKPIT ALERTS SEEN BOOSTING AVIATION SAFETY

Japan has submitted a working paper to the ongoing triennial

policy-setting meeting of global aviation leaders, highlighting

cockpit alert systems as a crucial safety measure for preventing

runway incursions. The paper was drafted in response to the

Haneda crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates

all civil aviation accidents, has been consistently recommending

it.

Southwest ( LUV ), which began using the technology this year,

attests to the benefits. The Dallas-based airline has seen a

significant improvement in its key safety performance indicators

since the system came on board, Southwest's ( LUV ) vice president of

safety and security, Dave Hunt, told Reuters.

The U.S. carrier began installing the system in spring and

now has it on almost all of its 800 aircraft. "We feel this is a

very important and effective layer to prevent runway incursions,

runway collisions," Hunt said.

The International Civil Aviation Organization lists runway

collisions or incursions among the top five risks to aviation

safety. Runways were involved in 42% of accidents worldwide

between 2019 and 2023, the ICAO, a United Nations agency, said.

The Federal Aviation Administration recorded almost five

incursions or incorrect movements of planes or other objects per

day in the fiscal year 2024.

'ANOTHER LAYER OF PROTECTION'

The SURF-A technology uses GPS, automatic dependent

surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data, and advanced analytics to

identify other aircraft on or near the runway that could cause a

collision within the next 30 seconds.

Unlike systems that alert only air-traffic control, it

provides aural and visual alerts directly to pilots in the

cockpit. Based on the flight test results, Honeywell ( HON ) expects the

FAA to approve the technology next year.

"It's another layer of protection," said Honeywell ( HON ) senior

test pilot Kirk Vining. "It gives us more margin for safety."

Airbus and Boeing ( BA ) are also working on

runway-safety alerts for their aircraft. Cam Morast, lead

product manager at avionics safety company Aviation

Communication & Surveillance Systems, said his company is

testing a surface alert technology, which will be available as a

standard feature on new Airbus aircraft starting in 2028.

An FAA panel last year recommended requiring cockpit alert

systems for newly manufactured aircraft. While the panel failed

to reach a consensus on a retrofit mandate, it urged aircraft

operators to make every effort to install the technology on

their aircraft. It noted that safety was improved when aircraft

were equipped with capabilities providing alerts to the flight

crew.

Yet, doubts remain over how many airlines would be willing

to invest in solutions like SURF-A without a regulatory mandate.

Safety experts say the system's effectiveness relies on

broad implementation across an airline's fleet, which involves

retrofitting older aircraft, maintenance planning, training for

pilots and regulatory approval. It entails significant costs for

carriers.

"It's easier with the new fleet," said Hassan Shahidi, chief

executive at safety group Flight Safety Foundation.

"Retrofitting the existing fleet is very challenging."

COST CONCERNS SLOW ADOPTION RATE

The costs and efforts involved in upgrading safety features

stymied the adoption of Honeywell's ( HON ) previous runway safety

solutions. In 2012, it launched smartRunway and smartLanding

technology, known as Smart-X, to boost situational awareness of

pilots during taxi, take-off and landing.

The technology was designed to prevent incidents such as the

one in 2017 when an Air Canada ( ACDVF ) flight mistakenly lined

up to land on a taxiway instead of the assigned runway at San

Francisco International Airport, nearly colliding with four

other aircraft waiting to take off.

But Honeywell ( HON ) said that thus far, only 20 carriers including

Alaska Air ( ALK ), Air Canada ( ACDVF ), Southwest ( LUV ) and Emirates, are

using it.

Honeywell ( HON ) is recommending customers to equip their aircraft

with both SURF-A and Smart-X for comprehensive runway safety.

That will likely double the costs for airlines as Thea

Feyereisen, a senior aerospace engineer at Honeywell Aerospace,

said SURF-A will have a similar price tag as Smart-X - in the

tens of thousands of dollars per aircraft.

But Feyereisen argued that it would still be a

cost-effective solution compared with expensive airport

infrastructure upgrades. She estimated both the systems would

cost airlines less than a penny per passenger.

"Confidence in our system is eroding," she said. "If people

are afraid to fly, that's not good for (airline) business."