Schumer Announces FAA Will Install Critically-Needed Runway Lighting Systems At New York's 3 Major Airports By End Of Year; After Plane Skidded Off Runway Senator Demanded FAA Get System In Place; Will Help Prevent Crashes & Dangerous Collisions At NY's Three Airports
Press Release
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his push, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) is moving forward on the construction and installation of runway lighting systems at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports. In January, in light of a near-collision at JFK Airport, and a series of other collisions or near-misses in recent years, Schumer publicly urged the FAA to expedite construction and installation of Runway Status Lights --red lights embedded into the runway that can be turned on to signal to pilots that a runway is not safe to cross - at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports. In 2007, Congress provided the necessary $36 million for New York's airports to receive this system, however, construction had been delayed and deadlines for making the systems operational had been missed.
Schumer today announced that as a result of his urging the FAA has committed to an expedited timeline for construction and for making the systems operational:
· LaGuardia Airport: Lights will be operational this summer
· Newark Airport: Lights will be operational this fall
· JFK Airport: Lights on runways 13L/31R will be operational by the end of the year. Installation of the JFK lights on the other runway and taxiway will begin in October, and expected to be operational in 2016
"Runway Status Lights are an essential, new technology meant to prevent airplane collisions and crashes on the ground, and today, after a long delay, we can finally say that they have been approved for takeoff at New York's 3 major airports," said Senator Schumer. "We all know that New York's airspace is the busiest in the nation, and that's why it is essential that our airports have the tools they need to stay safe. I am pleased that the FAA heeded my call and is moving forward on installing this critical safety measures at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark."
According to the FAA, Runway Status Lights are designed to reduce the number, and severity of runway accidents between aircrafts, and serve as an added layer of safety without impacting traffic flow. There are two kinds of lights: Takeoff Hold Lights and Runway Entrance Lights. The lights are embedded in the pavement of runways and taxiways, and turn red to tell pilots and vehicle operators to stop when runways are not safe to cross. The lights automatically turn red when other traffic makes it dangerous to enter, cross or begin takeoff. The lights require no input from controllers and are designed to supplement existing air traffic controller tools and procedures. The system is based on inputs from surface and terminal surveillance systems, like sensors on the runway, radar, satellite and other high-tech systems. Schumer said that in the 9 airports across the country where Runway Status Lights have been installed, there's been a clear improvement in safety. It has been found that this system provides timely warnings to pilots of potential conflicts, it creates no interference with air traffic operations and the lights have decreased potential runway incursions. Over the course of more than two years at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, runway incursions dropped by 70%.
The National Runways Safety Plan of 2009-2011 laid out a goal of beginning the installation of Runway Status Lights at seventeen airports by FY2010, including JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. The necessary funding for these systems has been provided by Congress, including $13.4 million needed to install the system at JFK, $11 million needed to install the system at LaGuardia and $12 million needed to install the system at Newark. Yet, despite the fact that funding for the program has been in place for over six years, the FAA has only achieved full operability at nine of the seventeen planned airports, not including any of New York's three major airports. The other airports scheduled to receive Runway Status Lights include: Orlando International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
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