The City of Phoenix Aviation Department plans to study the introduction of runway safety technology for ground vehicles that could help prevent accidents such as the fatal runway collision between an Air Canada CRJ-900 and airport fire truck at LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) in March.
That accident, which killed two pilots and injured more than 40 others, occurred after the occupants of the airport fire truck did not realize that an air traffic controller’s orders to stop crossing LaGuardia’s Runway 4 were directed at them, according to the NTSB.
In hopes of avoiding a similar tragedy, the Phoenix Aviation Department will evaluate Honeywell Aerospace’s Surface Alert (SURF-A) system, which gives pilots direct aural and visual alerts when they are on a collision course. Other runway safety systems are purely visual or flag potential hazards only to ATCs.
Originally developed for aircraft, SURF-A will soon be installed on ground vehicles at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (KPHX), Phoenix Goodyear (KGYR), and Phoenix Deer Valley (KDVT) airports. Honeywell Aerospace said the study, planned to begin this month and continue the rest of the year, could “unlock new applications” for the technology.
“Pilots need direct alerts of potential runway collisions, but so do firetruck, ambulance, and other drivers that can be at risk of a high-speed collision on a runway,” said Bob Buddecke, president and CEO of electronic solutions at Honeywell Aerospace, in a news release. “Airport vehicle operators have been asking for this technology because an early alert can mean the difference between a safe pass and a major collision.”
Honeywell said the study marks the “first time any airport in the world will use this type of collision avoidance technology aboard ground vehicles.” It will combine SURF-A avionics with a digital airport map to improve real-time situational awareness of potential collisions for ground vehicles using runways and taxiways.
Following the evaluation, the partners will determine “next steps along with exploring other opportunities for further collaboration,” Honeywell said.
The FAA has identified hundreds of hot spots at airports where the risk of runway safety-related hazards during surface operations is heightened. The agency’s runway safety data actually show a downward trend in runway incursions, with 1,365 recorded in fiscal year 2026 (FY26) versus 1,636 in FY25 and 1,758 in 2024.
However, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimated that runway safety-related accidents accounted for 61 percent of accidents that caused substantial aircraft damage from 2019 to ‘23. Honeywell believes technologies like SURF-A will become less negotiable as airport traffic grows.
How SURF-A Could Improve Runway Safety
SURF-A is not yet FAA-certified. But Honeywell said last week that certification of the system for Boeing aircraft is expected later this year. Additional new and retrofit aircraft certification would follow in 2027. Aeromexico, which in July announced plans to equip its entire Boeing 737 NG and 737 Max fleet of more than 100 aircraft with SURF-A, is the system’s intended launch customer.
SURF-A has already been tested on Honeywell’s Boeing 757 aircraft.
“With the appropriate safety margins in place, we set our Boeing 757 on a collision course with another Honeywell Aerospace test aircraft during taxi, takeoff, and landing,” said Kirk Vining, the company’s senior test pilot, in an August news release.
SURF-A uses GPS, ADS-B equipment, airport maps, and other data to identify the exact location of potential hazards up to 30 seconds before impact. It continuously tracks ADS-B Out-equipped traffic on or near runways or taxiways, giving operators an extra set of eyes. In the wake of the LaGuardia collision, the FAA in May announced it would equip all airport vehicles with transponders.
Pilots on a collision course will hear an alert in their headsets and see a “Traffic on runway” alert on cockpit displays. Drivers of airport ground vehicles will soon get the same alerts during testing.
Once certified, SURF-A will be available as an upgrade for any aircraft with a Honeywell Aerospace SmartX Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) or traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS). A version called SURF-IA (indications and alerts) is being developed to add a cockpit display of traffic and potential conflicts.
The technology is the latest addition to Honeywell’s broader SmartX portfolio, which also includes the company’s Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) and SmartRunway and SmartLanding offerings. It estimates those technologies are installed on about 6,000 commercial aircraft, or about one-fifth of the world’s fleet.