3 Phoenix Airports to Test Runway Safety System for Ground Vehicles

Honeywell Aerospace and city aviation department plan to study the former’s Surface Alert (SURF-A) system.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, October 07, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Honeywell Aerospace’s Surface Alerts (SURF-A) technology gives pilots on a collision course an aural alert in their headsets and a “Traffic on runway” alert on cockpit displays. [Credit: Honeywell Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

The City of Phoenix Aviation Department is initiating a study to implement Honeywell's Surface Alert (SURF-A) technology on ground vehicles at its airports, a global first for this application.
This pioneering effort aims to prevent runway accidents, similar to the fatal LaGuardia collision, by providing ground vehicle operators with direct aural and visual collision alerts.
Originally designed for aircraft, the SURF-A system utilizes GPS, ADS-B, and digital airport maps to detect potential conflicts up to 30 seconds in advance, significantly enhancing real-time situational awareness.

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The City of Phoenix Aviation Department plans to study the introduction of runway safety technology for ground vehicles that could help prevent accidents such as the fatal runway collision between an Air Canada CRJ-900 and airport fire truck at LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) in March.

That accident, which killed two pilots and injured more than 40 others, occurred after the occupants of the airport fire truck did not realize that an air traffic controller’s orders to stop crossing LaGuardia’s Runway 4 were directed at them, according to the NTSB.