Alaska Airlines today became the first U.S. commercial airline to acquire a new safety system designed by Honeywell International to reduce runway incursions and other airport ground safety risks. All 108 of Alaska’s Boeing 737 and MD80 aircraft will be equipped with the Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS).
“Honeywell’s new RAAS provides an additional margin of safety to help reduce runway incursions, one of the main Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board initiatives,” said Kevin Finan, Alaska’s vice president for flight operations.
“This is a very important advancement in safety that we will incorporate on the Alaska Airlines fleet.”
The RAAS technology employs a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an internal runway database to monitor the airplane’s location on or near the runway. Aural (voice) advisories provide call-outs that address critical operational events, such as the aircraft approaching a runway in-air or on-ground. Other aural advisories include aircraft aligned on a runway for takeoff or taxi and an inadvertent takeoff attempt from a taxiway.
Sarah Dalton, Alaska’s director, airspace and technology, said the new RAAS technology would be installed starting this fall with completion next year.
