FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AOC 38-05 November 2, 2005 Contact: Rebecca Trexler Phone: 202-267-3883 Major Airports to Receive New Runway Safety System WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that 15 airports, including some of the nation's busiest, will soon receive an advanced runway safety system. The new system, called Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), helps air traffic controllers spot potential collisions by integrating data from a variety of sources, including radars and airplane transponders, to create a continuously updated map of all airport-surface operations. The first deployment for airport sites where ASDE-X can deliver the most immediate safety benefits will begin in January 2006 in Seattle. The major airports scheduled to receive ASDE-X include: Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Boston Logan International Airport Chicago Midway Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston, TX) Los Angeles International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York) LaGuardia Airport (New York) Newark International Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Seattle Tacoma International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport William P. Hobby Airport (Houston, TX) Minneapolis St.-Paul International Airport Additional major airports sites are being evaluated and will be announced soon. "Reducing the risk of runway incursions is one of our top safety initiatives," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. "The FAA is deploying new technology to these large airports to make sure the traveling public receives the most immediate and greatest safety benefit." Consisting largely of off-the-shelf commercial products, ASDE-X was designed originally as a solution for the smaller of the top-tier airports. The first ASDE-X was activated for operational use and testing at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in June 2003, and declared ready for national deployment in October 2003. In addition to Milwaukee, ASDE-X also is operational now at the Theodore Francis Green State Airport in Providence, Rhode Island; Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida; and the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. The FAA had already deployed a system called Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) at the country's largest airports. However, ASDE-X's capabilities, especially in helping controllers at night or during bad weather when visibility is poor, led the FAA to prioritize where ASDE-X could be deployed to deliver the most immediate safety benefits. The FAA considered factors such as passenger traffic and runway and taxiway complexity, which can lead to an increased risk for runway incursions. ____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from this list please visit: http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/u_subscribe.cfm
