Southwest Airlines is in the process of outfitting all of its Boeing 737 planes with new technology aimed to improve safety on runways.
SmartRunway and SmartLanding via the Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System have already been activated on more than 700 Southwest aircraft, the Honeywell Aerospace Technologies announced.
“SmartRunway and SmartLanding helps increase flight crew situational awareness during taxi, take-off and landing with aural and visual alerts and promotes stabilized approaches,” Honeywell said in a press release. “It proactively notifies pilots when they are moving too fast, fly too high or are directed toward the wrong runway, helping to break the chain of events that may lead to runway accidents.”
The system is described by the Wall Street Journal as similar to anti-collision systems in modern cars.
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“It is a really powerful tool, we believe, to add more barriers to potentially bad outcomes,” Southwest chief operating officer Andrew Watterson told the newspaper.
The move comes after several close calls at airports across the country.
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Back in March, a Southwest Airlines flight was canceled in Florida after the aircraft tried to take off from a taxiway instead of a runway at Orlando International Airport, officials said.
The incident happened days after the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report suggesting that sun glare may have been a contributing factor in a near miss involving a Southwest Airlines jet at Chicago Midway International Airport in February.
Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to a FOX Business request for comment.
“Today’s pilots face increasing challenges including unpredictable weather and dense traffic in limited airspace, forcing them to make split-second decisions during takeoff and landing,” Jim Currier, president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, said in a statement.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 31.73 | -0.85 | -2.61% |
“Fortunately, as the challenges evolve, so does the technology that provides the information they need in real time,” he said. “Southwest is continuing to put pilots and passengers first by investing in SmartRunway and SmartLanding software across its fleet.”
FOX Business’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
