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Arizona Airport Boosts Runway Safety With New Tech

Mesa’s Falcon Field adopts Saab's Aerobahn system, giving ATC real-time ground movement insight.

Falcon Field Airport
Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona [Credit: Falcon Field Airport]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Falcon Field (KFFZ) in Mesa, Arizona, is implementing Saab’s Aerobahn Runway and Surface Safety service to enhance ground traffic monitoring.
  • This new technology will provide air traffic controllers with real-time, on-screen visibility of aircraft and vehicle movement, significantly improving airfield safety and efficiency.
  • The initiative is part of the FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI), a nationwide effort to strengthen runway safety, and the project was fully funded by the FAA.
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Falcon Field (KFFZ) in Mesa, Arizona, may soon be recognized as one of the safest airports in the U.S. as it is among the first to obtain new technology that will allow air traffic control to see aircraft and vehicle movement on the ground through a control tower monitoring system.

The airport, located in Class D airspace, will be utilizing Saab’s Aerobahn Runway and Surface Safety service to detect and monitor ground traffic. Instead of having to shift focus from computer monitors to outside, air traffic controllers (ATCs) will have the information presented on screen in real time.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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