WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House will announce on Friday $26 million in new funding to improve U.S. aviation safety after a series of potentially catastrophic near miss incidents this year, officials told Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will spend $10 million to improve controller situational awareness and reduce runway close-calls by deploying surface surveillance systems to additional airports.
Last month, there was a near collision in August between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating seven runway incursion events since January.
Officials said the FAA will also spend $8 million to expand its terminal automation system to prevent incorrect runway landings that can result in close-calls and another $8 million to deploy a runway incursion memory aid device used by controllers for occupied and closed runways to 72 additional airports. The device provides visual and audible alerts to remind controllers to check the runway before issuing clearances.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
