Austin-Bergstrom International Airport control tower (KXAN Photo/Todd Bynum)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Federal Aviation Administration has introduced a new airfield surveillance system that will reduce the risk of runway accidents by improving situational awareness for air traffic controllers, the agency announced in a press release.
The new system will begin operation at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on June 30.
The FAA said Austin will be one of four airports in the country to get the new system.
The new technology will allow air traffic controllers at airports without ground monitoring tools to see ground traffic. Aircraft and ADS-B-equipped vehicles will appear as icons on an airport map that shows areas such as runways, taxiways and holding ramps, according to the FAA.
“This summer travel season is expected to be the busiest in 15 years, and the FAA has established several safety measures to protect travelers, and this new system is just one more step in that effort,” the press release said.
May 2024 will be the busiest month in Australian aviation history in terms of passenger numbers, reaching approximately 2.07 million passengers. Only five other months have seen passenger numbers exceed two million: July 2023, October 2023, May 2022, June 2023 and October 2022.
