Major Airports to Receive New Runway Safety System

[9-awa-press-releases@xxxxxxx]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AOC 38-05 November 2, 2005
Contact: Rebecca Trexler
Phone: 202-267-3883 

Major Airports to Receive New Runway Safety System WASHINGTON, DC — 

The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation              
Administration (FAA) today announced that 15 airports, including 
some of the nation's busiest, will soon receive an advanced      
runway safety system.                                            

The new system, called Airport Surface Detection Equipment,      
Model X (ASDE-X), helps air traffic controllers spot potential   
collisions by integrating data from a variety of sources,        
including radars and airplane transponders, to create a          
continuously updated map of all airport-surface operations.      

The first deployment for airport sites where ASDE-X can deliver
the most immediate safety benefits will begin in January 2006 in
Seattle. The major airports scheduled to receive ASDE-X include:

Baltimore-Washington International 
Thurgood Marshall Airport
Boston Logan International Airport
Chicago Midway Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston, TX)
Los Angeles International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
LaGuardia Airport (New York)
Newark International Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
William P. Hobby Airport (Houston, TX)
Minneapolis St.-Paul International Airport

Additional major airports sites are being evaluated and will be
announced soon.

"Reducing the risk of runway incursions is one of our top
safety initiatives," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey.
"The FAA is deploying new technology to these large airports
to make sure the traveling public receives the most immediate and
greatest safety benefit."

Consisting largely of off-the-shelf commercial products, ASDE-X
was designed originally as a solution for the smaller of the
top-tier airports. The first ASDE-X was activated for operational
use and testing at General Mitchell International Airport in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in June 2003, and declared ready for
national deployment in October 2003. In addition to Milwaukee,
ASDE-X also is operational now at the Theodore Francis Green
State Airport in Providence, Rhode Island; Orlando International
Airport in Orlando, Florida; and the William P. Hobby Airport in
Houston, Texas.

The FAA had already deployed a system called Airport Movement    
Area Safety System (AMASS) at the country's largest airports.    
However, ASDE-X's capabilities, especially in helping            
controllers at night or during bad weather when visibility       
is poor, led the FAA to prioritize where ASDE-X could be         
deployed to deliver the most immediate safety benefits. The FAA  
considered factors such as passenger traffic and runway and      
taxiway complexity, which can lead to an increased risk for      
runway incursions.                                               



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