Mexican flag carrier Aeroméxico will outfit its narrowbody fleet with new technology that alerts pilots when they are on a trajectory to collide with another aircraft on the runway.
Honeywell Aerospace’s Surface Alerts, also known as SURF-A, uses GPS data, ADS-B equipment, and software analytics to calculate the exact location of runway traffic hazards and provides visual and aural warnings approximately 15 to 30 seconds before anticipated impact. Pilots hear the alert and see a “Traffic on the runway” message on cockpit displays if they are on a potential collision course.
Honeywell Aerospace said the system functions as a “third set of eyes” in the cockpit, helping improve situational awareness during taxi, take off, and landing.
Aeroméxico plans to install SURF-A on all of its Boeing 737 NextGen and 737 MAX aircraft, a total of over 100 airplanes.
“Safety is one of the core tenets of Honeywell Aerospace, and we designed this technology to help give pilots the precious time they need to recognize hazards and take corrective action to avoid what could be a fatal accident,” Jim Currier, president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace, said in a news release.
FAA certification of SURF-A on several Boeing types is expected to begin later this year and continue into 2027.
Once approved, the technology will formally join Honeywell Aerospace’s suite of runway safety tools, which includes the Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) and SmartRunway and SmartLanding software.
Surface Alerts will be available as a software upgrade to Honeywell Aerospace’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which are already used across Aeroméxico’s 737 fleet.
