Washington Headquarters Press Release

FAA’s Chief Operating Officer Describes Runway Safety Strategies

Hank Krakowski, the chief operating officer of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Organization, today told the House Subcommittee on Aviation that reducing the risk of runway incursions is one of the FAA’s top priorities. He told the committee that the number of serious runway incursions has dropped by more than 55 percent since fiscal year 2001.

"Safety is our top priority, and runway safety starts with preventing runway incursions," Krakowski said. "We remain focused to make the safest system in the world even safer."

At today’s hearing, Krakowski discussed the FAA’s major initiatives to track, investigate, reduce and prevent runway incursions and errors. He noted that earlier this year, acting FAA administrator Bobby Sturgell spoke by phone with airline chief executives to underscore the importance of direct contact with all pilots and flight engineers about the continuing safety risks. Immediately following that call, two FAA executives met face-to-face with the chief pilot, director of safety and director of operations for every U.S. carrier. As a result, air carriers will provide pilots and flight engineers with the current data on runway incursions and will require crew members to review online safety programs by May 1.

This past August, FAA and top-level industry executives agreed to an ambitious plan to improve cockpit procedures, airport signage and markings, air traffic procedures, and technology. Within 60 days the aviation community completed significant short-term actions and made strides toward mid- and long-term goals.

The FAA targeted 20 of the busiest U.S. airports for Runway Safety Action Team visits based on a combination of a history of runway incursions, incidents of aircraft turning onto the wrong runway and the risk of wrong-runway incidents, Krakowski said. These teams identified more than 100 short term fixes that could be accomplished within 60 days, including new or improved signage, improved markings, driver training and other actions. The FAA has now identified a second tier of 22 airports for evaluation.

Krakowski told the committee that the FAA has spent more than $404 million to date to acquire and deploy the next generation of ground surveillance technology, known as Airport Surface Detection Equipment ­— Model X (ASDE-X). Eleven air traffic control towers now have ASDE-X installed, and the agency has accelerated its installation schedule by one year — the target completion date for the last system is now 2010.

In addition, the agency is moving ahead with runway status lights, which provide a direct alert to pilots about potential runway conflicts, Krakowski said. The system is currently being tested at Dallas/Ft. Worth and San Diego airports and the FAA is selecting other large airports for testing.

The FAA is also testing a system at the Long Beach Airport, known as Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal (FAROS), which will further enhance runway safety. The agency is developing a plan to implement FAROS at larger airports and expects to begin operational trials at Dallas-Fort Worth by the end of fiscal year 2008.

The FAA has been testing a low-cost ground surveillance system at Spokane, WA, that would provide ground situational awareness to controllers at airports that are not slated to use ASDE-X systems, and plans to expand this test to more sites later this year, Krakowski told the committee. In addition, the agency is working with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to implement a voluntary reporting system for air traffic controllers similar to the Aviation Safety Program (ASAP) for airlines, pilots, airport operators and the FAA.

Krakowski also discussed the FAA’s progress in improving runway safety areas. In fiscal year 2000 the FAA started an ambitious program to accelerate runway safety area improvements for commercial service runways that do not meet updated standards. The agency developed a long-term completion plan that will ensure that all practicable improvements are completed by 2015.