White House announces new funding to reduce aviation close calls

The White House on Friday announced $26m in new funding to improve US aviation safety after a series of potentially catastrophic near-miss incidents and is pressing Congress for more funding. The FAA will spend $10m to improve controller situational awareness and reduce runway close calls by deploying surface surveillance systems to additional airports, the White House announced. Reuters first reported the planned investments. The NTSB is investigating seven runway incursion events since January. The White House said the FAA will also spend $8m to expand its terminal automation system to prevent incorrect runway landings that can result in close calls. The FAA is also spending another $8m to deploy a runway incursion memory aid device used by controllers for occupied and closed runways to 72 additional airports. The device provides alerts to remind controllers to check runways before issuing clearances. The White House on Friday also called on Congress for new money for aviation safety. The current FAA authorization expires on Sept. 30. “Without sufficient funding levels and continued investment in safety, the current standard Americans expect could be jeopardized in the future,” the White House said. Separately, the FAA on Friday said it was seeking recommendations on how it could require cockpit-alerting technologies designed to reduce runway safety events. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy in May said the United States needed to invest more in aviation safety technology solutions after a series of close-call incidents this year. There was a near collision just last month between a Southwest Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego. Technology systems that help detect aircraft and ground vehicles at airports to prevent runway incursion are currently used at 43 U.S. airports. That technology needs to be upgraded and extended to all other commercial airports she said. The United States has about 500 commercial airports. <br/>