Saab’s Aerobahn Runway Safety Service has been deployed at Nashville International Airport
Less than 90 days after being selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under its surface awareness initiative (SAI), Saab’s Aerobahn Runway and Surface Safety Service is helping air traffic controllers manage operations at Nashville.
Surface surveillance systems increase runway safety by displaying position, movement, and the relative location of aircraft and ground vehicles to air traffic controllers. They also provide aural and visual safety alerts of potential runway collision situations. These services are crucial for operations where air traffic controllers´ situational awareness is adversely affected by combinations of visibility, traffic volume and airport layout.
The FAA´s SAI programme demonstrates how cost-effective runway safety technologies can help improve safety at airports where budget restrictions have made deployment of traditional surveillance equipment, like surface movement radars (SMRs), difficult.
Since its initial launch in 2003, Saab´s Aerobahn platform has been adopted by more than 30 airports worldwide (from some of the busiest hubs in the world, like ATL, ORD, and HKG, to small regional facilities like Yampa Valley Regional Airport). This is in concordance with ICAO GANP ASBU SURF-B0/2 guidance, which recommends stakeholders have common access to real-time surface surveillance data as the key element for comprehensive situation awareness for surface operations.
Saab described its recent deployment of the Aerobahn Runway and Surface Safety service at Nashville as a game changer for airports trying to safely manage their operation without the budget to support the installation and maintenance of an SMR or full-scale Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems (A-SMGCS).
