The FAA is awarding SkyWest, US Airways and Southwest Airlines $600,000 each to install equipment to help avoid runway incursions, something which the National Transportation Safety Board has long wanted. The funding is part of a $5 million program to equip aircraft serving major airports with runway safety issues, such as Los Angeles, with new technology and the three airline will be testing the systems for the agency.
The 60 aircraft in the program that is centered on LAX, which was the site of the worst runway accident in U.S. history and involved both SkyWest and US Airways, will be fully equipped by May 15. Each airline will equip 20 aircraft.
FAA said the electronic flight bags, including moving map displays and an alerting system would have eliminated 44 percent of serious runway incursions nationwide resulting from pilot error in the last four years. It is especially interested in its use in night operations, poor weather conditions and with flight crews unfamiliar with airport layouts.