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The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it has given more than $100 million in grants to 12 airports to help prevent crashes after a spate of near-collision accidents this year. The funding aims to reduce “intrusions” where planes, vehicles and people accidentally occupy or obstruct runways.
The funds will fund changes such as building new corridors and taxiways for planes to move through the airport, and installing lighting to improve pilot guidance. Tucson International Airport will receive a top prize of approximately $33 million for the construction of the taxiway and renovation of the runway. San Diego International Airport will receive $24 million to build a new taxiway.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a press conference, “Sometimes the best technology is tangible. That’s why what you’re seeing is one less potential point of conflict with aircraft lined up.” It means building a terminal taxiway like this.” on tuesday.
why it matters: Invasion is subsidized, but concerns remain.
The announcement comes as runway incursions are declining after a surge earlier in the year. The FAA said Tuesday that the rate of intrusions of the type of most concern rose to 1 in 1 million takeoffs and landings in January, but has since halved.
A series of nasty intrusions earlier this year drew widespread attention. In one incident at New York’s Kennedy International Airport, another plane passed dangerously close and had to abort its takeoff. In another episode, a pilot had to abort a landing at Texas’ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport because the runway was being used for another plane’s takeoff.
The FAA held a safety summit in March to address intrusions and other safety concerns. It also issued a bulletin to airlines, airport operators and employees, urging airlines to exercise caution in the conduct of their duties. The National Transportation Safety Board will hold an event on Tuesday to discuss the break-in.
By April this year, there were about 550 runway incursions, up slightly from 530 during the same period last year. According to the FAA.
Background: There were many problems with the aviation system.
The issue of runway incursions comes as demand for air travel rises as people move away from the pandemic and spend more money on travel and other services they have avoided in the past few years.
But as demand grows, airlines and government agencies are struggling to keep up. Around Christmas last year, Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights and grounded millions of travelers after it failed to quickly recover from the disruption caused by the frigid weather. A few weeks later, the FAA suspended all outbound flights across the United States to fix technical issues.
Many experts have warned that the FAA, which governs airlines and the air traffic system, could struggle this summer as passenger numbers could surpass pre-pandemic highs. Airlines executives and FAA officials said the changes were made to minimize disruption in the coming months.
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Zach Montague Contributed to the report.
