Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy personally installed a new surface movement radar system at Reagan National Airport on Aug. 14, enhancing air traffic controllers’ ability to track aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways to prevent potentially catastrophic incursions.
Surface movement radar directly addresses the type of runway conflicts that produce the most dangerous incidents in commercial aviation.
Reagan National Airport, which serves the Washington metropolitan area, has been the subject of heightened safety attention following recent aviation safety incidents in the region, according to the Department of Transportation. The airport handles more than 25 million passengers annually.
Duffy also unveiled a new radar system at Newark Liberty International Airport on Aug. 11, indicating a broader upgrade program at major East Coast airports. Newark has been identified as having among the highest rates of runway incursions and near-miss events of any major U.S. airport.
The installations are part of an FAA effort to modernize airport safety infrastructure following a period of funding constraints. Runway incursions, which occur when an aircraft, vehicle or person is on a runway without authorization, are among the most serious safety events tracked by the FAA.
The Secretary’s personal participation in the radar installation signals the political priority attached to airport safety in this administration. The FAA has faced scrutiny over air traffic controller staffing shortages and aging safety technology at the nation’s busiest airports.
Pilots, air traffic controllers and airport authorities have called for accelerated deployment of surface detection and monitoring technology at airports nationwide.