New FAA technology improving air traffic awareness introduced at Austin airport

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration introduced new airfield surveillance systems that would reduce the risk of runway incidents by improving air traffic controllers' situational awareness, according to a press release.

Starting June 30, the new systems will be operational at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The FAA said the Austin airport will be one of four airports in the nation to utilize the new system.

The new technology will display surface traffic to controllers at airports that do not have a surface surveillance tool. The FAA said the aircraft and ADS-B equipped vehicles will appear as icons on an airport map that would depict runways, taxiways, hold ramps and other areas.

The press release said this summer travel season is expected to be the busiest in nearly 15 years. The FAA said it has established multiple layers of safety to protect travelers, and this new system is another layer of safety.

May 2024 was the busiest month ever at AUS, in terms of passenger traffic, with almost 2.07 million passengers. Only five other months have seen more than 2 million passengers: July 2023, October 2023, May 2022, June 2023 and October 2022.