Transportation
As Runway Near-Misses Surge, Radar That Keeps Planes Apart Is Aging and Unreliable
- Surge in close calls highlights need for system upgrade
- FAA has called on industry to devise new safety technology
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A crucial safety system that’s relied on to avoid potentially fatal collisions at major US airports is aging and plagued by outages that have left travelers unprotected for months at a time. At some airports, it hasn’t ever been installed.
The technology — which tracks vehicles on or near runways to alert controllers before impending crashes — often uses decades-old radar equipment for which spare parts are difficult to find, according to government data and the president of the union representing air-traffic controllers.