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Southwest equips fleet with advanced Honeywell safety tech

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Southwest equips fleet with advanced Honeywell safety tech
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Webp andrew watterson
Andrew Watterson COO of Southwest Airlines | Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has taken a significant step to enhance runway safety by equipping its Boeing 737 aircraft with Honeywell Aerospace's SmartRunway and SmartLanding software. This development follows Honeywell Aerospace's announcement of being spun off from its parent company, Honeywell, due to pressure from Elliott Investment Management.

The technology upgrade is facilitated through the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), already installed on over 700 Southwest Airlines aircraft. The airline operates a fleet comprising 339 Boeing 737-700s, 203 Boeing 737-800s, and 264 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

"SmartRunway and SmartLanding help increase flight crew situational awareness during taxi, take-off, and landing with aural and visual alerts and promote stabilized approaches," explained Jim Currier, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. He emphasized that these systems proactively alert pilots when they are moving too fast or flying too high.

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Andrew Watterson, COO of Southwest Airlines, stated that "safety is at the heart of everything that the airline does." He added that the new software will provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness to ensure maximum safety levels.

The implementation comes amid increasing challenges faced by pilots due to unpredictable weather conditions and dense air traffic. As Currier noted, evolving technology like SmartRunway and SmartLanding offers real-time information necessary for pilots during critical flight stages.

In related news, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently published preliminary reports on runway incursions involving Southwest Airlines aircraft. One incident involved a Flexjet Challenger entering an active runway at Chicago Midway International Airport as a Southwest Airlines plane was landing. Another report detailed an incursion at Long Beach Airport involving a Southwest plane and a general aviation Diamond DA40.

To further improve runway safety across U.S. airports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been enhancing systems under its runway safety portfolio. This includes installing Runway Incursion Devices at numerous air traffic control towers as part of initiatives launched after the February 2023 'Safety Call to Action.'

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